Sincerely
by The Killer Bunny
Summary: Due to a school assignment, Suguro and Rin get to know each other long before they join True Cross Academy.
1. April 6, 2000

So this is a plot Miyavilurver and I been wanting to do since forever, and we actually have another Shima/Yukio side in the making as well. Hope you enjoy! Leave us a review and tell us what you think.

As a side note, the Okumura twins were born in 1993, making them 6 at the moment since their birthday is in December. The Kyoto trio are also 6 at the moment. They are all in their first year of elementary school.

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**Sincerely**

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It all started in the beginning of first grade. Every student had written down their names on small cards and handed them into the teacher.

Rin's name was messy. He was proud of his regardless because usually you couldn't read it at all. But he'd concentrated very hard to make sure he could do this right. After all, this was going to be the first step in getting a new friend. He had to make a good impression.

"Nii-san? Are you almost done?"

A small voice piped up beside him and Rin turned to smile brightly.

"Yeah, I think so." He lifted up the card and showed his brother the messy scrawl.

"Ah! It looks better than normal!" Yukio seemed impressed and smiled, pushing up the glasses that were too big for his nose. Rin grinned proudly and stood up to run and hand it in to the teacher.

All the cards were put in a box and that box, the teacher explained to them, was going to be mailed to an entirely different school all the way in Kyoto. In return, they were going to receive a box full of names too.

Then they'd all get a name from the box and, for the rest of the year, they'd have a pen pal.

Rin was excited. He didn't make friends easily because he accidentally hurt people all the time. But with a friend all the way in Kyoto, there was no way he could hurt them! It was perfect. He'd finally have a friend. He came into school every day from then on, asking the teacher if they had the box from Kyoto yet. The answer was always no until a week later.

"Is it here yet, Sensei!?" Rin ran into the room with bright and hopeful eyes. The teacher smiled and patted a box on her desk.

"Right here, Rin-kun. It came in the mail last night!" she said happily. Rin's eyes widened with wonder and he jumped up and down excitedly.

The teacher ushered all of them to sit down and one by one, she walked around, handing each of them a card.

"Sugu…ro…" Rin read each character out loud, squinting his eyes, "R… Sensei!" He showed the card to his teacher when he couldn't make out the second name. The teacher looked at it and smiled.

"Ryuuji. Suguro Ryuuji." She smiled.

"Suguro Ryuuji!" Rin repeated happily. He looked at Yukio's card and attempted to read that out as well. "Shi…ma…Ren…zou… Ah, Yukio, you're lucky! Yours is easier to read!" He huffed.

Yukio smiled and pushed up his glasses. "It's kinda messy but I can read it too."

Rin looked at Yukio's card again, noticing the pretty average handwriting. He then looked at his own card in greater detail.

The handwriting was really nice. Almost perfect. It looked like the handwriting in their school books. Rin wondered if, for a moment, that maybe Ryuuji would be impressed by his own handwriting just as Rin was impressed with his.


	2. April 10, 2000

Suguro frowned at the card in his hands. The name _Okumura Rin _had been written somewhat messily on it. If he hadn't already been used to reading Shima's own messy handwriting, he would've had a hard time deciphering this. He wasn't very pleased with this fact. After all, he was going to have to exchange letters with this person for an entire year. He hoped this Rin had been just having an off day, otherwise…

"Who'd ya get, Bon?"

Shima seemed more interested in this fact than in his own card, which he hadn't even picked up off his desk yet. Instead, he was peeking over Suguro's shoulder and reading the card that was in his friend's hands.

Suguro instinctively hid the card away.

"Hey! Don't call me that while we're in class!" he hissed for the fourth time that day, embarrassed.

Shima ignored him. He was spelling out the name he'd briefly seen aloud. "…Okumura Rin?"

His eyebrows furrowed briefly, but when he spoke next, his voice had gained a tinge of excitement. "Ooooh, Bon! You've gotta girl! I wonder who I've got!"

Clearly more excited about all of this than he had been before, Shima quickly picked up his card with sticky fingers. A large food stain blurred out the last characters on the card, but Shima didn't care much. His eyes were stuck on the pretty, beautifully written name instead. "Mine says Okumura Yuki-something!" Shima grinned widely. "Think they're sisters?"

Suguro shrugged. "Dunno," he said before turning to Konekomaru.

"What's yours?" he asked.

Konekomaru hesitantly showed them his card.

"Kumo… what?" Shima wasn't familiar with the characters.

"It says Hibari Kyouya, ya moron," Suguro muttered.

Shima stuck out his tongue. "Whatever, know-it-all. Anyway, that's a pretty funny name, don't ya think?"

"It sounds kinda nice..." Konekomaru said as he glanced back down at his card.

Shima scrunched his nose, but before he could add another comment in, their teacher spoke, cutting off all types of conversation.

"Alright, class. We'll use the next couple of minutes to compose our first letter. You don't have to write too long. This is just a letter of introduction," he explained. "I'll write an easy example you all can follow, but you don't have to copy me, alright?"

Their teacher began writing on the board. Suguro observed him intently and followed his exact example.

_Dear Rin,_

_Hello, how are you doing? _

_I am doing well. Lately, we've been learning a lot of interesting stuff in school. It's been fun._

_Sensei said it was a good idea to talk about the things that we like. Well, I like my family and my friends. We all live together at my temple. It's really the best. My most favorite thing to do is listen to my pop's chanting._

_What kinda things do you like to do? _

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely,_

_Suguro Ryuuji_

After putting his pencil down, Suguro stared at his letter with an intent frown. He compared his letter with their teacher's example before nodding with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Sensei! I finished!" He raised his hand.

"Good job, Ryuuji-kun. Anyone else?"

About half of the class also raised their hands.

Suguro glanced back over his shoulder and looked at how Shima was doing. He rolled his eyes as he spotted a few heart doodles on the paper, but he said nothing. He turned forward again and looked back at his letter. A smile crossed his lips for a second. He wasn't really into this whole thing originally, but he was getting a little interested in it. He wondered what this Rin person would say in reply.


	3. April 13, 2000

Rin could barely contain his excited shriek when the teacher told them that their letters had arrived.

"I'll help you all write your first response, but from now on, you'll be sending these letters to your friend's houses." The teacher walked around handing each of them their perspective letters. Rin ripped open his the moment he got it and opened the letter to quickly read. Yukio was a bit neater with the way he opened his but there was still an excited tremor in his fingers.

Rin had a bit of trouble reading through the letter but once he got through it, he was smiling. Ryuuji sounded like a really interesting guy but he did wonder what "chanting" meant. He asked his teacher but his teacher told him that it's better to ask Ryuuji instead. It would give them something to talk about. Rin's eyes widened with understanding as he grabbed his pencil and a piece of paper and started to write his own letter, only half listening to the teacher as she explained how to do it.

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_You live at a temple? That's cool! My pops is a priest so me and my brother live at a monastery. Is that kind of the same as a temple? I saw a temple once when Yukio and I were little but it was really tiny and I don't think people can live in it. Do you live in a really tiny temple?_

_What is chanting? I don't know what that is. My teacher said I should ask you. I think it sounds like a really cool word. Is it like music since you listen to it?_

_My favorite thing to do is cooking! I'm getting better and my pops bought me cooking books to help me learn and so far things are going really great! My food used to taste really bad in the beginning and people spit it out but now everyone is happy when they eat so it makes me happy too! My favorite food is sukiyaki! What's yours?_

Rin stared at his letter for a moment, a proud smile on his face as he wondered how exactly to end it. He was already looking forward to Ryuuji's reply. He looked back at Ryuuji's letter and decided to copy his ending, finding it nice.

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely,_

_Okumura Rin_

Rin looked over at Yukio's letter and tilted his head a bit.

"Why's yours got hearts all over it?"


	4. April 17, 2000

_Hey guys, enjoy the latest chapter! Thanks for all your reviews! We really enjoy hearing from you. We have a lot planned out for this fic, so please stick around and tell us what you think! ^^_

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After Suguro finished reading the letter in his hand, he set it down and got out another piece of paper. As he thought about how to write his response, he heard Shima whining in the back.

"I've been tricked!" he cried out.

Konekomaru leaned over his desk to see what Shima was protesting about. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Suguro already had a pretty good idea over what their friend's issue was, having gotten a clue from his own letter.

"It's not fair! Bon, trade with me!"

"No way," Suguro replied without taking his eyes off Rin's letter. A slight frown formed on his face as he reread it.

_She's kinda weird, _he thought as he took note of the style the letter had been written in. It was a bit rough, and her handwriting wasn't the best either, but at least it was earnest and coherent enough. He ignored the fact that Shima was trying to read over his shoulder and began to write out a response.

_Dear Rin,_

_Thank you for your letter. _

_About your questions, first, I think the tiny temple you are talking about is a shrine. In those places, you pay your respects to the gods that live there. The temple that I live in is pretty big, and not at all like shrines. Maybe you can get your teacher to show you a picture. I imagine it's kind of like the monastery you live in. I haven't seen too many of those around here though. Are they nice? What kind of stuff do you do there?_

_Chanting is when you memorize a long sentence and repeat it over and over again. It is a little like singing, or like a prayer. Kinda like both actually. I'm going to become the head monk at my temple when I grow up, so I'm trying to learn all kinds of chants. _

_I don't really have a favorite food. Anything that my mom makes is good. I think it's cool that you've learned how to cook. I'm sure you will continue to get better with more practice, so do your best._

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely,_

_Suguro Ryuuji_

"Sheesh! What's with this boring reply?"

"Shima…!" Suguro growled and tried to take back the letter his childhood friend had snatched away. "Give it back!"

"Sheesh, it's just for a second, hold on." Without asking for permission, he showed the letter to Konekomaru. The young boy bit his lip in that usual, telling way of him that had Suguro groaning.

"What's wrong with my letter?" he complained.

"It's stiff, dude. Way too stiff. You sound like an old man! And where're the compliments? Ask a little bit more about her! You're wastin' a golden opportunity here, Bon!" Shima protested.

Suguro snatched back his letter. "What did I tell ya about callin' me that?" he muttered.

He glanced back down at his letter. It looked fine to him. He didn't know what they were complaining about.

When no one was looking, he added one last line right before his closing remark.

_Food aside, what is your favorite thing in world?_


	5. April 20, 2000

"Papa, Yukio, look! They're here! They're here!" Rin shouted enthusiastically as he carried in the letters that belonged to both he and Yukio.

"Oh, would you look at that." Shiro leaned down and took the envelopes to look them over. "Already so grown up and getting mail. Is this the Ryuuji you told me about, Rin?"

"Yeah!" Rin grinned before reaching up and opening his hands. "Now give it! I have to read it! It's an important letter from a friend!"

"Alright, alright." Shiro smiled as Yukio too held out his hands, rejoicing over Renzou's reply. The two boys took their letters to their room and while Rin decided to lie on the floor to read his, Yukio sat in a chair.

"Ah, Ryuuji is really smart!" Rin gasped, his legs kicking above him as he read. He looked around and quickly got a paper and pencil before thumping back down onto the floor to write his reply as quick as he could. But before he started, he realized he was missing something. "Papa!" He grabbed the letter and his blank paper before running out of the room. "Papa, show me a picture of a temple!"

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_I asked my pops to show me a picture of a temple and it looks super cool! It does sort of look like the monastery so maybe it looks the same inside! We do all kinds of stuff. Papa helps out a lot of people who come and ask for advice and he also does confession for those people too. Everyone says he's really great and I think so too! My pops is the coolest! I usually play with my brother, Yukio, though. He's writing letters too! Do you know someone named Renzou? Yukio really likes writing letters to him! We were really excited when the letters came in today!_

_Chanting kind of sounds like the hymns they sing here. Sometimes they have meetings on Sundays. Papa calls them services and they sing a lot but all the songs are sort of boring and I don't really understand them. But it sounds nice to listen to sometimes. _

_I think your dream is really cool! I don't know what my dream is yet. All I know is that I want to do my best to help my little brother!_

_My favorite thing in the world is my family! Is that a good answer? Well it's true! My little brother Yukio is the best and Papa is the best! We have lots of fun together all the time and I hope we can always be together! What's your favorite thing in the world?_

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely, _

_Rin_

Rin left it as just his first name, not really wanting to keep writing out Okumura every time. Ryuuji already knew his last name so it wasn't a big deal, right? Though as he stared at the letter more, he decided to add something at the end.

_P.S. What's sincerely?_


	6. April 24, 2000

"—thank you, Ryuuji. Now why don't you go find Renzou and Neko-chan and play with them until dinner?"

"'kay! Sure ya don't need any more help, Ma?" Suguro asked, not moving from his spot as he looked at her expectantly.

"I'm good for now. Oh! But before I forget, here you go, dear. These came in the mail for the three of you." Suguro's mom reached into her pocket and handed him three letters.

Suguro immediately recognized them. A spark of excitement lit in his eyes.

"They're here!" he said with a wide grin on his face.

Suguro's mom was a little surprised at his reaction, but she soon smiled. "Is this that school project you were telling me about?"

"Yeah!" Suguro had stuffed the other two letters in his pocket and seemed eager to open his. He glanced up at his mom.

"You can go. But don't forget to give those two their letters too!"

"I will!"

When Suguro got to his room, he promptly took out the letter and began to read it. When he was done, he quickly began to write out a reply.

_Dear Rin,_

_Thank you for your letter._

_Monasteries sound interesting. I found a couple books here that talked about them. I think I'd like to visit one someday to see it with my own eyes. About your question, yeah I know Renzou. He's one of my friends. He and Konekomaru live with me at my temple. I don't have any siblings like you, but they're kinda like my brothers. _

Suguro's face heated up at his bold words. He was glad neither of his friends were around to see him.

_What kind of person is your brother? Renzou hasn't said much to me. Is he being nice to your brother? Tell me if he's not and I'll tell him off for ya. _

Suguro paused again in his letter as he thought about the last two questions. He wasn't sure what to say in reply. He had already mentioned he liked hearing his dad's chants, but that was more of a thing he liked doing, right?

After thinking about it a little bit more, he wrote:

_My most favorite thing in the world is also my family. I like seeing everyone who lives at my temple happy. Due to a lot of reasons, some people have begun to go away. It's a little lonely. Everyone is really worried about it and I wish I could do something to help. That's why I'm doing my best to become the head monk._

_The word "sincerely" is just a word that you use at the end of a letter. It kinda means that you're being really truthful or that you really meant every word you wrote. It's kinda hard to explain, but I hope I was able to._

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely, _

_Ryuuji_


	7. April 27, 2000

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_That's really cool! Having a dream like that. I think maybe I want to be a cook because it's what I'm good at and it makes people happy! My brother is really cute. He wants to be a doctor and he already knows how to put bandaids on and everything! I always mess it up and rip it wrong or something. But Yukio knows how to do it so he helps me when I get hurt when Papa isn't around. He's gonna be a great doctor!_

_Yukio likes writing to Renzou so I think they're getting along! He's keeping all of Renzou's letters in a box. Papa gave us one each so we can keep it for memories. My box is under my bed and Yukio keeps his box on his desk. _

"Rin!"

Rin looked up as one of the priests called for him, entering his room. "You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry! Yukio is waiting for you!"

"Oh! Okay!" Rin smiled brightly and turned back to the letter.

_I have to go to school now so I'll finish the letter when I get back home!_

Rin grabbed his bag and folded up the letter, leaving it on the desk, before he ran out the door.

However, Rin didn't get home until much later. There were tears in his eyes and the shouts of '_demon child!'_ still rang in his ears. He sniffled and buried his face in his pillow, recalling the memory of his father getting carried away in an ambulance, laughing even though Rin could see the pain on his face.

"Nii-san…?" Rin felt a small hand on his back and looked up to Yukio's concerned expression.

"Sorry… Yukio." He rubbed his eyes fiercely and tried not to think of their dad. He plastered on a large smile. "Just kidding, okay? I'm okay! I was just wondering if you were gonna ask! Are you okay, Yukio?"

Yukio seemed momentarily relieved but the concern didn't leave his face. "Yeah, I'm okay. Papa said he'll be coming home tomorrow, so don't cry, Nii-san."

"I'm not crying!" Rin wiped his face and sat up, lifting his chin haughtily. "I'm tough and tough boys don't cry, right? You're a tough boy too, Yukio, but I'll protect you anyways."

Yukio smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Nii-san!"

The two brothers sat together for a long while before Yukio fell asleep on Rin's bed. Rin took off his glasses and put them on Yukio's desk before he spotted his half-finished letter on his own. He looked at the time. It was late. But he wanted to write to Ryuuji. He had to be happy for his brother but maybe he could be truthful to him.

_I'm home now. My Papa went to the hospital today because of me. Some kid was bullying Yukio so I hit him but I hit him too hard. _

Rin wiped his face aggressively as tears began forming in his eyes at the memories.

_They called me a monster and a demon and I got really angry and I hurt people. I hurt my pops really bad too but he said he did it on purpose. I know he's lying and I feel really bad. He's coming home tomorrow and I'm gonna cook him something really good to say sorry. I'm going to do my best to be better from now on and be nicer. I don't know what I'll do if anyone starts to bully Yukio again but maybe they're scared of me too so they'll stop._

_I like the word sincerely because I want to talk the truth to you. You're my only friend now because everyone else thinks I'm a demon. I still have Yukio but I hope Papa doesn't hate me. Do you hate me? I hope not. I like being friends with you and I'm going to try not to hurt anyone anymore. Papa said I had to use my strength for a gentler purpose so that's what I'm going to do. _

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely, _

_Rin_


	8. May 1, 2000

"Shima! Shima!"

Suguro had been reading his latest letter in his room, but once he reached the end of it, the smile that had been on his face had faded, replaced by a troubled frown.

Now, he was running around the temple looking for Shima. It didn't take too long to find him. The usually carefree boy was reading a letter of his own by the lake with a serious expression on his face. He didn't look very surprised to see Suguro.

"What did yours say?" Suguro demanded to know as soon as he was near.

Strangely, Shima clutched onto his letter to his chest protectively.

"What's yours say?" he shot back.

"You know already, right? Their dad got hurt. I don't really get why, just that Rin was tryin' to protect her brother from some bullies."

A strange expression crossed Shima's face but Suguro took no note of it.

"Yeah, that's right." Shima nodded after a second. "Yukio said he was worried about them both. He said he saw Rin crying, but Rin kept tryin' to pretend nothin' was wrong…" he muttered, a little uncomfortably. "Seems like it isn't the first time it's happened either, but things were kinda worse than usual this time."

"I see…" Suguro looked down at his feet. Frustration welled up inside of him from the tip of his toes, all the way up to the roots of his hair. His fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"People are awful. Rin was just tryin' to protect her brother… That's no reason to be called a demon!" he shouted, glaring holes into the ground.

"Bon…"

When Suguro penned his reply this time, there was a determined look on his face. He carefully wrote out each word.

_Dear Rin,_

_How are you doing? I hope that by the time this letter gets to you, things have gotten better._

_I'm sorry to hear about what happened. I hope your dad gets well soon. _

_More importantly, I hope you're okay too. I know how awful it is to get called names. It's hard, but you shouldn't listen to what those people are saying. I might not know all the details, but I know enough to realize that you did what you did for a good reason. You're a great big sister. I would've hit them too. I have a bad temper but Konekomaru and Shima hold me back and stop me from fighting when that happens (unless it's Shima that I get mad at)._

_Don't worry about your dad. He sounds like a good guy. I'm sure he'll forgive you, especially since you didn't mean to hurt him. There's no way he would hate you._

_I don't hate you either and I don't think you're a demon. I haven't thrown away any of your letters, ya know. I always keep them safe because I consider you a friend too._

_I hope this letter finds you well, and please, take good care of yourself._

_Sincerely, _

_Your friend, Ryuuji_


	9. May 8, 2000

"HE THINKS I'M A GIRL!" Rin shouted indignantly.

Shiro started laughing immediately, holding his sides as Rin shouted protests at him, red in the face.

"DON'T LAUGH! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU GAVE ME A GIRLY NAME!" were among the shouts he cried out. The three of them were sitting on Shiro's bed. It had been about a week since he had come home from the hospital and Rin had apologized with a big meal. Shiro had, of course, forgiven him, but he had been told to take it easy for a while. Since then, the three of them had taken their meals on Shiro's bed and done their homework there too.

Yukio was giggling from their father's other side and Rin looked at him, distraught.

"Not you too, Yukio!" He kicked his legs into the mattress and huffed.

"Alright, alright." Shiro grinned and placed his hand on Rin's head. "Just correct him and I'm sure he'll apologize. It's just a misunderstanding."

"Fine." Rin grumbled and pulled over a book to place on his lap, then a paper and pencil to get started. Yukio was already writing his response to Shima.

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_I'M NOT A GIRL! I'm Yukio's BROTHER!_

_Besides that, things are getting better. Papa's home from the hospital but he has to stay in bed a lot so me and Yukio are in bed with him a lot so he's not alone. I made him a big beef stew. It was my first time but it came out alright. I think I can do better next time. _

_I think it's cool to have two friends like brothers like that. Yukio is smaller than me and I'm stronger than him so he can't do that. But I just do my best to protect him. People still call me demon. I tell them to stop but nobody listens. Yukio cried because of it. I'll never forgive them for making Yukio cry!_

_If you know what it's like, do you get called names too? You seem like you're really cool and smart so I don't get why people would call you names. _

_I'm glad you're still my friend. I like these letters and I like you and I think you're awesome! Thank you for being my friend._

_I hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you._

_Sincerely, _

_Your friend who is a BOY, Rin_


	10. May 11, 2000

"YOU KNEW!"

Suguro tried to launch himself at Shima, but Shima quickly dodged and began to run away, snickering the entire time.

Konekomaru stifled a sigh. "Bon, please calm down," he said without looking up from the letter he was carefully composing.

"Yeah, it's no biggie, right?" Shima threw a grin over his shoulder.

Suguro growled. "Wrong! You shoulda told me! Argh! Stay still!"

"As if!" Shima began to run faster. They raced around the big oak tree and Konekomaru only got up to stop them once he was done with his letter. He dragged them both by the ears and made them apologize to each other.

"Why'd I gotta apologize?!"

"It's not entirely Shima-san's fault, is it? You're just picking on him 'cause you're embarrassed."

"Yeah, yeah!" Shima nodded vigorously at Konekomaru's words.

"Shima-san isn't without fault though. You should've corrected Bon once you knew Rin-kun was a boy."

Shima withered under Konekomaru's disapproving stare.

Suguro shot a heated glare at them both.

"You guys are the worst," he muttered, embarrassed. Once Konekomaru let them go, Suguro stared at the letter in his hand with a well-lit blush on his face until he could muster up the strength to write down a reply.

_Dear Rin,_

_I am really, really sorry for calling ya a girl! This is mostly my fault but Shima's to blame too. He thought Yukio was a girl at first 'cause he dirtied the last character of his name when we got the cards, and so he thought the two of ya were sisters. Pretty sure he's known you were a boy for a while now, but he didn't tell me to mess with me. I'm really sorry about that!_

_Glad to hear your dad's doing alright though. I'm sure he loved your food too. Can't believe you can cook so many different things already. I'd like to try some one day if possible._

_I also wish I could make the people around you stop saying those awful things. People are stupid. Around here, I get called names too because my temple has a bad history. Something bad happened a few years ago, so now they think it's cursed. That's why I get called "the child of the cursed temple." I hate it, but I do my best to ignore it. My pops always tells me I shouldn't let it get to me, and being around Shima and Konekomaru helps. I think it's gonna be a little easier now too since I can talk to you about it. Let's do our best together and ignore it, okay? _

_I'm glad I met you and that I can be your friend. I think you're awesome too. If you need any help with anything, tell me, okay? Don't hold anything back. I'm always here to listen._

_Hope this letter finds you well, and that I hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Your friend, Ryuuji_


	11. May 15, 2000

"No wonder there were so many hearts…" Yukio blinked as Rin revealed that they both got mistaken for girls. "I just thought he liked pink!"

Rin sniggered into his rice. Ryuuji's latest letter was sitting beside his food on the table as they all ate together. He was really thinking about it. To think that Ryuuji got bullied too because of something he couldn't control… And he probably got bullied by grown-ups too. He couldn't help but open the letter in his lap again even though the priests had warned him that he'd get it dirty with food. But he read it again because there was one sentence that really stuck out to him.

"Papa?" Rin placed the letter back down and looked up.

"What is it, Rin?" Shiro swallowed a bite of fish.

"Can you send food through the mail?"

"Hmm." Shiro put down his fork. "Well, you can send something that won't go bad very easily. Like cookies, breads, or snacks. I'll help you find a good box for it. Is that for Ryuuji-kun?"

Rin smiled and nodded. "Yeah!"

Shiro grinned proudly. "Well then, I'll help you pick something out."

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_It's okay! I forgive you. Not much you can do about it since we can't see each other's faces. I know my name is kinda girly so I don't blame you. I'm sorry you get bullied too. But at the same time I'm kind of happy because I know we're not alone and we can do this together! Is that bad? I wish we were both not bullied though. Especially because you didn't even do anything. People are stupid sometimes._

_You said you wanted to try my food so here it is! I made some cookies because Papa said they wouldn't go bad in the mail. I hope they didn't break too much. I made enough so that you can share with your friends! Food is meant to be shared! Don't be greedy and keep it all to yourself, okay? I hope you like them!_

_You're a great friend and if Renzou and Konekomaru aren't there, you can always write super long letters to me. Your handwriting is really nice so it's easy to read but sometimes your words are too big. But I'm learning a lot more words when I write with you! Papa said you're a good influenz. I don't know what that means but it's good, right?_

_Maybe one day we can play together. I think that would be fun. Sometimes when Papa takes me and my brother to the playground near our monastery, I imagine you're there with us. Do you have a playground? I like playing on the swing set most of all!_

_I hope this letter finds you well, and I hope to hear from you soon!_

_Sincerely,_

_Your friend, Rin_


	12. May 18, 2000

When their letters arrived this time, they were all surprised to see the box that came along with them.

"Who's it for?"

"What is it?"

The three of them peered at the letter that had been attached to the top of the box. Suguro's eyes quickly lit up in recognition.

"It's from Rin!" he said with excitement.

Though Suguro usually preferred to read Rin's letters when he was alone, he quickly opened the envelope this time. "Hold on a sec!" he said and quietly began to read the letter.

Shima and Konekomaru grabbed their own letters, but they were looking at Suguro expectantly, waiting. They watched as Suguro's mouth fell open in surprise.

"No way… He sent us cookies!"

"Really?!"

Within seconds, the three of them had opened the box. Inside, around a dozen cookies or more were piled up on top of each other. Suguro's mouth watered at the sweet scent that drifted from the box. They all stared at the cookies with awe.

_Thanks, Rin… _Suguro thought happily. They all began to gobble down the treat.

"These are so good…!"

"They really are," Konekomaru agreed with a pleased smile.

"He's really good at cookin'," Suguro said with a proud nod. "Even though we're the same age, Rin can already make all kinds of food."

"Heh. Ya sure he's not actually a girl? There's no way a guy can cook this good," Shima said with a teasing grin.

Suguro didn't take the bait. Instead, his lips twisted into a small evil grin. "I'll be sure to tell 'im your thoughts. 'M sure Rin will be eager to send ya another batch."

Shima's face paled.

"I was just kiddin'! Kiddin'!"

_Dear Rin,_

_Thank you for the cookies! They were really delicious. Konekomaru and Shima send their thanks too. We don't usually eat many sweets around here, so we were really happy and finished 'em quickly. Thanks, seriously. I wish I could send ya somethin' back in return, but there's nothing really that I can aside from this letter. I'll make it up to you next time I can. _

_I also hope that one day we can play together. There's not a playground around here, unless you count the one at the school. There's lots of fields near the temple though. We usually sneak around in there and snatch away a couple of fruits and veggies from there. Sometimes we eat them, but a lot of the time I offer my share to Buddha. I'm not supposed to sneak in while my pops is prayin' to him, but he doesn't really mind so I keep doin' it. _

_I like writing to you too. I think about ya a lot when it gets lonely around here. I think you're a good influence on me too, because when I think about ya, I try to not lose my temper too much since we promised we were gonna do our best together. That's what it means, if you didn't find out yet. _

_Hope this letter finds you well, and that I hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Your friend, Ryuuji_

After he finished writing that, Suguro frowned for a long second. A small crease formed between his eyebrows as he stared intently at the letter. Then, ignoring the slight flush spreading across his cheeks, he quickly came to a decision and doodled a small drawing onto the paper. It was a caricature version of him, Shima and Konekomaru. They were all grinning and had tiny crumbs on their faces. Suguro wrote a large "_THANKS" _on top of the drawing and then quickly stuffed the letter into the envelope before he could rethink it.


	13. May 22, 2000

_Hey, guys! We usually don't like leaving author notes on short chapters, but we really wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for reviewing our fic. We are really happy to hear you are liking it, and your reviews always make us smile. We've got a lot planned so we hope you continue to stick around. Also, we'll soon be posting the Shima/Yukio part of this installment, so we hope you look forward to that too. _

* * *

Rin was practically bouncing all over the monastery, showing anyone who would listen the drawing that Ryuuji placed at the bottom of the letter. It was the first time a friend had given him anything and a drawing saying thank you with big smiles was more than perfect. His body was practically vibrating with happiness.

"They liked them!" he announced proudly.

"Good job, Rin!" Shiro laughed and ruffled his hair. "Of course they'd like them. Your cooking is like no other, you know?"

Rin flushed, obviously pleased, as he wiggled on the spot, hugging the letter to his chest.

"Yeah!"

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_I'm so happy you liked the cookies! It made me very happy! And I really love your drawing! I showed it to everyone in the monastery and they all said that you are a really good artist! Are you the one in the middle? Which one is Konekomaru and which one is Shima?_

_That's cool! It's like a farm! We have a little garden in the back of the monastery but it's not big. We mostly just have flowers and some other herbs there that Papa uses to burn for incense. He says that it keeps the monastery clean from evil and monsters so that it can stay a holy place of God. Is God like Boddha? We pray to God too. I think your life is really interesting!_

_I think about you a lot too! There was a kid who started calling me a demon today but before I hit him, I thought about you. So I didn't hit him or anything. That's good, right? _

"Rin! Don't forget!" Yukio looked up from writing his own letter and lifted a small handmade blue and pink bracelet.

"Ah! Thanks for remindin' me!" Rin smacked his forehead and hurried to his bag. He pulled out a crudely made bracelet made from string. It was yellow and blue and would fit perfectly around a child's wrist. He hurried back to his desk, sat down, and continued writing.

_At school today, we made friendship bracelets. Our teacher said to give it to our best friends and you're my best friend so I wanted to give it to you! Yukio is also sending his to Shima because he said the same thing. We don't have a lot of friends in school and you guys matter most to us anyway! So please take it! I hope it fits! I had to use my own wrist to measure since I didn't know yours._

_Hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you!_

_Sincerely,_

_Your friend, Rin_


	14. May 25, 2000

_._

* * *

_"I'm going to leave the Myou Dha…!"_

Those words still echoed in Suguro's head. Even now as he lay in the darkness of his room, he couldn't forget the tone they had been said in, the determination behind them. If Juuzou hadn't intervened…

The frustration in Suguro's gut grew.

He turned on his side and tried to calm himself by reciting sutras in his head. Yet, the more he tried to distract himself by doing so, the more thoughts of his father ruined his progress. Suguro was… infuriated at him. Disappointed too. Confused. His head throbbed the more he thought about it and he clenched his eyes shut tightly tried to will his frustration away. His head continued to throb painfully, and Suguro felt a sharp, wet sting in his eyes that made him bite his lip roughly.

The frustration inside of him felt too big to handle in his tiny little body. He felt lonely too, and guilt dwelled heavily in his heart as he thought of Shima and Konekomaru, whom he'd run away from to come sulk in his room. He'd have to apologize to them. Soon. But he didn't want to see anyone just yet, not when he was feeling so miserable.

He turned on his side again. Through the darkness of his room, he caught sight of the faint outline of his desk, and then the pile of letters that were neatly stacked on top of it. They were Rin's letters. Suguro had been rereading them just this morning.

He'd gotten a new one this afternoon, he remembered now. He'd stuffed it in his pocket and had been about to run off to read it when he'd overheard that awful argument.

Suguro bit his lip, pushed the memory away, and gingerly sat up. He took out the letter in his pocket and then turned on the small lamp next to his futon. The light made him wince a little but he forced himself to ignore the pain, wiped his face roughly with his sleeve, and began to read the letter.

When he was done, a light spark of happiness burst from his chest, and it spread, relieving some of the distress that had been weighing him down. Emptying the remaining contents of the envelope revealed the bracelet Rin had set him. Suguro's fingers closed tightly around it for a moment. A few seconds later, the bracelet was snugly wound around his wrist.

_Dear Rin,_

_Thank you._

_The bracelet fit me just fine. I put it on right away. Really… thanks._

_To tell ya the truth, I'm having a hard time writin' this letter. Today... More followers from my temple tried to leave. It's frustrating. Everything is all just really frustrating. I'm doin' my best here, but time's just going by too slowly. I can't do anything at all to help. My pop's... isn't makin' things easier either. He's being secretive and I hate it. Every time I try to talk to him about it, he changes the subject and tries to distract me. That ain't any better than lyin', and i hate lyin'. We're not supposed to, ya know. It goes against our teachings. _

_…I'm sorry if I'm gettin' too serious here._

_I'm just… afraid. Aren't we supposed to be like family? Every time someone leaves, it gets lonelier around here. I'm always afraid that one day, Shima and Koneko will leave too... Things are changin' around here though. We're merging with another..._

Suguro paused for a second, wondering how to explain the True Cross Order. He didn't know much about this organization yet. He decided to find out more about it before he could tell Rin.

_...with another organization, so things should be better from now on, I hope. _

_To answer your questions, no, God isn't like Buddha. Not sure what religion your monastery studies under, but Buddhism is more than just a religion. It's a way of life. We don't believe in any gods. Instead, we follow Buddha's teachings. He was just a man like us, so we don't worship him like a god or pray to him like that. We pay him our respects though as thanks for teachin' us the path to enlightenment. _

_Not sure if this is all going over your head or not. Sorry if I'm rambling. _

_About the picture, glad you liked it. I'm the one in the middle. Shima's the one with the stupid expression, and Konekomaru's the one with the short hair. He had to shave it off recently because Shima accidentally got gum on his hair. (We both got him back for that, don't worry.)_

_What do you and your brother look like anyway?_

_Hope this letter finds you well, and that I hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Your friend_

Suguro hesitated, glanced at Rin's letter besides his, and crossed out his words.

_Your best friend, Ryuuji_

_P.S. I'm glad you didn't hurt anyone. _


	15. May 29, 2000

Rin sat in the corner of the chapel, a somber look on his face as he read Ryuuji's letter. He looked like he was going through some hard times. He didn't know what he'd do if the priests started leaving the monastery one by one like that. They were like his family. What could he say? How could he make it better? Just knowing that his friend, no, his best friend was hurting like this and there was nothing he could do…

He rubbed his eyes quickly and took a deep breath. He couldn't cry. He needed to be strong for his friend. He had to make believe like Ryuuji was there and he had to be good. He could help him somehow, right? Even if it was just a letter. Papa told him once about how talking and just saying the right words can make people feel better.

So that's what he'd do. He'd say the right words.

But what were the right words? Worry nipped at the back of his neck again and he stood up, dragging his feet as he walked to the kitchen.

"Oi, Rin. What's with the long face?" Shiro was sitting at the table with a newspaper and Rin sighed.

"It's Ryuuji," he admitted. "Monks are leaving his temple and he's really sad about it and I don't know what to tell him so he can feel better." He looked up at his father hopefully. "What should I say, Papa?"

Shiro sighed and smiled a bit. He pushed his chair back and patted his lap. Rin immediately ran up and sat on his knee. "Let me see." He took the letter from Rin and read over it before offering it back to him again. "Well, Rin. That's not something I can tell you."

Rin looked discouraged as he looked down at the letter.

"But."

Rin looked up at his father again. Shiro was smiling.

"The right words are right here." Shiro pointed to Rin's chest and it took a moment before he looked up from his finger.

"My heart?" Rin whispered.

"Yeah." The priest grinned. "Ryuuji-kun is your friend, right?" Rin nodded vigorously. "Then write whatever comes to your heart. And even if you can't be there right next to him, your feelings will reach him. It'll be like having you right there beside him."

"My heart…" Rin said again, placing his own small hand over his heart. He could feel it thumping under his skin. Honest words from the heart.

He could do that.

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_It's okay. You can talk to me about anything and I'll be here for you. Even if I can't be there in person. Sometimes I get frustrated because we can't be together and we're so far away. If I was there I would give you a big hug and we could eat really good food and go play so you don't have to be sad anymore._

_I know how you feel. The priests here are sorta like my family too. I don't know what I'd do if they started leaving. I think I would feel frustrated too. I'm sorry I can't really help but maybe with this new organization thing, people will stay. As long as it helps, it's okay, right?_

_I don't think Shima and Konekomaru will leave. You said they're like your brothers, right? Well Yukio and I are always together. We never leave each other and I know we never will. I think Shima and Konekomaru will stay with you because that's what brothers do. Maybe they're scared just like you. So stay together, okay? Don't be scared. And I'm here for you too! I know I won't leave you alone so for sure, you'll always have someone, right?_

_I don't really know what Buddhism is but I will ask my Papa about it because it sounds interesting. Here at the monastery, we're Catholic. So we believe in God and Jesus and stuff. I don't really understand it a lot but Papa is a really good teacher and he's teaching me little by little. You sound smart so your dad must be a good teacher too._

_It's okay. I don't really understand it but you can talk about it and I'll catch on. Papa said I'm good at that. He says I just need to have it repeated a lot and I'll remember it._

_I can draw you a picture of me and my brother and my pops but maybe we should send real pictures to each other so that way we know what we look like! I think it's a good idea so you should tell me if you want to do it or not. I will draw you a picture for now._

_Hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you!_

_Sincerely,_

_Your best friend, Rin_

Underneath his name, he drew the best he could. He and his brother holding onto his Papa's hands and he labeled them as well. He placed Yukio under his brother, Papa under Shiro, and Me under himself. Rin smiled a bit and seemed satisfied before he folded up the paper and pushed it into the envelope.


	16. June 1, 2000

Suguro squirmed in his seat impatiently as he waited for his mom to get back. He tried to distract himself by beginning to pen down his reply to Rin's last letter, but his eyes kept wandering to the drawing Rin had sent him. It wasn't as good as his had been, but it had been a good effort. Better than any of Shima's drawings that was for sure. A small smile stretched across his face again every time he glanced at it.

"Alright, boys. Here you go."

Suguro's mom walked in with a stack of photos in her hands. Suguro's eyes lit up at the sight and he waited for her to place them down on his desk before reaching for them.

"Thanks, Ma!"

"Thanks, Okami-san!"

"It was no problem. Now I'll be heading off to prepare for dinner then, alright? You better not pick a fight with your father again tonight, Ryuuji!" The sweet tone Suguro's mom had been using became sharp as she addressed her son.

Suguro made a face at her behind her back.

"I saw that!" Torako huffed loudly as she slid the door closed behind her.

"Yikes. You're in it for now, Bon." Shima winced slightly.

"I ain't scared of her…" Suguro muttered, though not very reassuringly. After a second, he shook his head and picked up a photo.

"Here, Konekomaru."

Konekomaru had been staring down at his letter with a slight frown. He looked up upon being addressed and the frown on his face deepened as he stared at the photo that was being held out to him.

"Don't ya want to send one to that Hibari guy?" Shima asked, confused at the other's hesitation.

"Um, well…" Konekomaru's eyes darted down to stare the photo in Suguro's hand once more. After another second, he finally reached over to accept it. "I guess…" he muttered quietly, looking a little concerned.

Suguro frowned. The clear excitement that had been in his eyes faded a little as he looked at Konekomaru in worry. "You never tell us anythin' about that guy. What's he like? He bein' mean ta ya?"

Konekomaru seemed a little taken aback by his question. "He's…" A strange expression crossed his face for a moment. "He's a little… shy, is all. He doesn't really talk all that much."

"Heh. He scared to talk to ya or somethin'?"

"Of Konekomaru?" Suguro seemed outraged at the thought that anyone could find their gentle friend intimidating.

"Maybe the poor little skylark is afraid of Big Bad Koneko-san!" Shima snickered a little meanly.

"You shouldn't make fun of people like that!" Konekomaru immediately protested. He looked uncomfortable, and perhaps a little paler than usual.

Neither of his friends noticed that last part.

"Quit it." Suguro huffed as he elbowed Shima's ribs hard.

"Ouch!"

_Dear Rin,_

_Lately, things have become much better at my temple. A lot of things have changed, and everyone has become very busy, but it's for the better I think._

_Not everything's perfect though. I'm still havin' problems with my old man sometimes, but we can't really argue 'cause my mom gets mad. She's scary when she gets mad. _

_Still, I'm really glad we can talk to each other about these kinds of things. You're a good friend. And about what ya said in your last letter, ya better mean it okay! It's a promise. And it goes both ways too. I swear I won't ever leave ya alone no matter what happens. _

_I liked your drawing, but I really would like to see a real picture of you guys. Ya might have already noticed, but we sent you guys a copy of us with our letters. _

_Rin, we'll definitely meet in person one day, okay? _

_Hope this letter finds you well, and that I hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Your best friend, Ryuuji_


	17. June 5, 2000

_We have this story carefully planned out. Very carefully. So keep an eye out on next few chapters and don't be surprised by the format. Everything we do is for a reason._

* * *

They were laughing and sweaty by the time they returned to the monastery. Shiro had bought them a disposable camera which Rin and Yukio exchanged between them. They took pictures of themselves and each other before Shiro took them out to the playground nearby. There, the camera was used up on the swings and the slide. The seesaw also had its spot in several pictures of the brothers. Finally, the last two pictures were special, with the three of them smooshed together and showing off peace signs at the lens.

After that, they'd taken the camera to get developed, ate at a takoyaki stand, and then returned for the pictures.

"Look! I really like this one!" Rin lifted up a picture as they walked of Rin in the middle of jumping from the swing. "It looks like I'm flying! Good job, Yukio!"

Yukio blushed at the compliment for he remembered he took that picture.

They chatted about their day all up until they returned to the monastery. Rin pulled Ryuuji's letter out of his jacket pocket before Shiro took their jackets. Rin hurried off to his room and sat on his desk, getting a paper and immediately started his reply.

_Dear Ryuuji,_

_I'm very happy that your temple is getting better! That's a big relief! I argue with my papa a lot too but he loves me and I'm sure your dad loves you too. Dads are supposed to do that. I don't know about moms because I've never met mine but I think she loves you too._

_I'm definitely not lying at all! You're my best friend and I'm not gonna leave you alone! Never! Even if a big monster comes after you and I'm really scared, I'm still gonna be right there!_

_I wanna meet you in person. I wanna play with you and talk to you. I like these letters a lot but I think being together will be more fun!_

_My Papa and Yukio and me all went playing with a camera today and we took lots of pictures. Here's one!_

_You look really cool by the way! _

_Hope this letter finds you well, and look forward to seeing you soon!_

_Sincerely,_

_Your bestest best friend, Rin_


	18. October 23-26, 2006

Currently, the Okumura twins are 12 and in their first year of middle school/junior high.

* * *

_October 23, 2006_

_Ryuuji,_

_School's getting pretty tiresome lately. I know you keep telling me to keep my chin up and I have been trying! I promise! It's just hard. I just feel bad for telling you about this because I know you're really hoping for me to do better. But I don't wanna lie to you either. No matter how much work I do or how much I study, I just can't get it._

_I can't make any friends either, yanno? I mean, you and Yukio are all I've got. And it's not that that's a bad thing but people talk about me a lot and it just sucks. Every time I go I just can't wait to get home. It might be easier to endure if you were there but you're not. It's not your fault or anything but I just can't confide in Yukio the way I can confide in you._

_I just wish you were here._

_Hope this letter finds you well, and I really look forward to hearing from you again._

_Sincerely,_  
_Your best friend, Rin_

* * *

_October 26, 2006  
_

_Rin,_

_Sorry I'm not there. I wish I could help ya out an' be there with ya. This whole situation sucks. I'm glad you're tellin' me about it though. You don't hafta be afraid to tell me anythin'. I'm always gonna be here ta listen an' support ya. That ain't ever gonna change._

_That said, I also gotta apologize for being kinda absent lately. I ain't makin' things better for ya by spacin' out. It's been a busy month over here, but that ain't any excuse. You're always on my mind, ya know. It's just hard to find the time to sit down an' write everythin' I wanna tell ya sometimes._

_I'll do better from now on though, and don'tcha try to wave my fault away. This was my bad, and I gotta own up ta it._

_Speakin' o' which... I recently got a phone. So. We should talk. I'd like ta finally be able to put a voice ta your face so..._

_My number's xxx-xxxx-xxxx_

_Call me, okay?_

_Hope this letter finds you well, and that I hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_  
_Your best friend, Ryuuji_


	19. October 30, 2006

_Hey, guys! Hope you enjoy today's chapter. Since these chapters will be getting longer, we will be posting with less frequency, but only by an extra day or two. Tomorrow we will start uploading the ShimaxYukio side of this story, so we hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to review! We love hearing from you!_

* * *

Rin stood outside the phone booth, staring at the receiver within. He had Ryuuji's letter clutched tightly in his hand along with a pocket full of money, saved up allowance from his old man. Most teens used it on street food and arcades, but now he had a real reason to use it. An important reason.

It was easy to write to Ryuuji, to pour his thoughts out on paper and imagine his friend on the other side. But somehow, picking up a phone seemed so much more intimidating.

Rin swallowed.

He opened the phone booth and stepped in, closing the door behind him. Rin opened up the letter again and dropped the amount of money needed. He pressed the receiver to his ear but his fingers hesitated over the keys.

"Come on, Rin!" he whispered fervently to himself, "he's your best friend! What are you afraid of?" Rin quickly dialed the number before he could think twice. His heart leapt with each ringing tone.

"'llo?"

A low, smooth voice answered the phone.

"Who's this?"

Rin's breath hitched for a moment. The voice was deep and gruff and nothing like he expected.

"Ryuuji?" He gripped the phone, his expression starting to brighten. "Oh my god you sound so cool! It's Rin!" He smiled brightly, all nervousness fading away immediately.

There was a slight pause on the line followed by a quiet intake of breath.

"Rin."

The voice on the line sounded surprised, but pleasantly so.

"Ya called!" A clear grin could be heard in Suguro's words. "'M glad. Shit. Wow. I wasn't-I mean I was expectin' ya to, o' course, 'm just... surprised. Shit," he said again, sounding a little breathless. "How're ya doin'?"

Rin's happiness bubbled up in the form of a small laugh. He was bouncing on his heels and his cheeks hurt from how wide he was grinning.

"I'm good now!" He leaned against one of the walls of the booth. "Oh man, my heart's pounding. I hafta look so weird. I'm in a pay phone right now 'cause the priests are real nosy."

"Ya dork." The term was uttered in a quiet, fond tone, but the light tilt in Suguro's voice indicated he was equally as eager. "What're ya sneakin' around for? 'S jus' me."

"Well yeah but that's the reason, yanno. They're all gonna be like 'Oh, is that Ryuuji-kun?!'" Rin adopted a different voice, mocking the priests.

"Haa, that so?" Suguro chuckled quietly. It was clear that he was trying to sound unruffled, but a voice in the background ruined his attempt.

"Aww, look, Koneko-san! Bon's blushing!" There was a faint snicker, followed by quieter grunt.

"Shima!" Suguro's voice lowered into an embarrassed, muffled hiss. "Quit it!"

Rin blinked when he heard another voice in the background but when Ryuuji said the name, he couldn't help but grin again. He'd have to tell Yukio he heard Shima's voice too.

"Eh?" His voice took on a teasing tone. "Bon? Is that your nickname?"

There was a quiet exasperated huff, followed by quick rebuttal. "No!" Suguro paused. "Well, kinda," he muttered reluctantly just a few seconds later. "Ignore it though, will ya? It's embarrassin'."

Rin laughed. He'd always pictured Ryuuji as this really cool guy. It was nice to see he could be embarrassed too. That didn't make him any less cool of course. Rin wondered how it looked when he blushed.

"Don't worry! Not gonna call you that. I like bein' special and callin' ya Ryuuji." His confession was true and unabashed. He didn't really hold much back when it came to his friend.

"…Yer such a sap," Suguro muttered in that same embarrassed tone he'd used before. "But yeah... it's, uh, tha same fer me. It'd be weird ta say anythin' else now anyway!"

Rin grinned, letting out a pleased little laugh through his teeth. "Yeah, tell me about it. We were weird kids back then, huh?" He lifted his hand and stared at the beads around his wrist. They were the prayer beads that Ryuuji had sent him when they were young. He never took them off and found himself fiddling with them when times were tough. They were a comfort to him and it was as close as he would get to having his friend by his side.

"So." Rin was smiling again. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Same ol', same ol'," Suguro answered, chuckling. "We were jus' 'bout ta head back home. Got outta school an' all." His tone became a little tense upon mentioning the subject, but he continued on speaking regardless. "Gotta keep my grades up if I want to follow through with what I told ya I was gonna do," he added in a quieter, hushed tone. Clearly, he wanted no one else but Rin to hear him.

A little knot of shame tightened in Rin's chest and he let out a soft confirming sound. "Right," he muttered. But he then pushed the smile back on his face. "I'm glad you're doin' good, then, Ryuuji. I wonder how your grades compare to my brother's. He's a study nut too."

Suguro chuckled quietly. "With the way ya keep goin' on an' on about him sometimes, I don't doubt it."

"Can't help it, can I? He's my brother. I'm proud of him!" Rin protested but with a happy tone.

Suguro continued to chuckle. The sound was light, warm, but when it faded off there was a bit of a hesitant pause, and then the serious tone in Ryuuji's voice returned. "Rin… Ya holdin' up okay?"

Rin couldn't help but sigh a bit. "I'm fine, Ryuuji. Nothin' out of the ordinary, yanno?" He wanted to brush it off but… Ryuuji was his best friend. "I just can't get it as easy as you and Yukio do. Th' priests already make fun of me 'cause we're twins but I'm useless."

"Yer not useless!" Suguro's deep voice rose in an instant. "The hell are ya contemplatin' that dumb idea for? Tch!" He continued on before Rin could interrupt him, with a low irritated growl. "You an' yer brother might be twins, but that don't mean the two of ya have gotta be the same. An' just 'cause yer havin' a hard time at school doesn't mean you're stupid. No one thinks that. Not your family, and definitely not me," he said firmly.

Rin sighed and scratched the back of his head. He stared at his feet and slumped against the side of the booth he was leaning against. "Easy for you to say…" he muttered, "it's not like I'm not tryin' but no matter how much I try, it never gets better an' people already look down on me an' everything…" He let out a frustrated sound. "This conversation got so serious! This was supposed to be fun! 'S our first phone call! I shouldn't be bringin' all this heavy stuff in."

A quiet, irritated grunt came from the other side of the line. Then, "Nothing's changed between us, Rin. This ain't supposed ta be any different from writin' letters. If you're down, or happy, or angry, or anythin', we're supposed ta tell each other. 'S what we promised, right?"

Rin sighed softly. "Yeah, I know. An' I still think that way. I don't wanna lie to you or anythin', I just don't wanna ruin everythin', yanno?" he replied in a small voice as he heard the voice on the line tell him he was running out of time. He quickly put in a few more coins before it disconnected.

"You're not ruinin' anythin', ya dork," said Suguro. Though gruff, there was a gentle undertone in his voice. "There's no way ya ever could. Now quit makin' me say all these embarrassin' things." He huffed.

Rin smiled despite himself and laughed lightly. "But 'cha said we wouldn't hold anythin' back, right?" he teased the other. Ryuuji really had a way of cheering him up.

Suguro groaned. "I know what I damn well said," he muttered. "But we're movin' away from the mushy stuff unless ya want me ta have ya spoutin' embarrassin' shit instead."

"Oh no! I'm so scared of the big bad Ryuuji!" Rin said in a high-pitched voice. "Gonna make me say mushy stuff and he's gonna blush all cute-like! What am I gonna do!?"

"Who're ya callin' cute?!" Suguro growled lowly. "Tch. Fine. If ya wanna play that way, then I gotta say, Rin, you've certainly gotten mouthier over the years. What'ver happened to tha cute brat who'd always ask me, "that okay? 's that fine?" hmm?"

"Eh?!" It was Rin's turn to blush. "H-Hey! I was like… Six back then!" He pouted and huffed but happiness was still blossoming warmly in his chest.

"So was I," Suguro said smugly. "An' I didn't say half of the embarassin' shit ya did back then."

"Nah-uh! You were seven!" Rin protested loudly. "A-And besides! You had more friends than I did so ya had more experience!" He stuck his tongue out even though Ryuuji couldn't see him.

"Heh. Ya had yer brother, didn't ya? Count yerself lucky for that." Suguro let out a loud snort. "Dealin' with Shima, on the other hand, 's always a pain, especially these days. If Konekomaru wasn't 'round to intervene, I would've dragged him to the temple by his ear 'ready. It's damn embarassin' puttin' up with his antics at school." Suguro spoke freely, not holding back his disgust. The lack of protests in the background indicated he was alone.

Rin tilted his head curiously. "What kinda antics are ya talkin' 'bout? Like pranks or somethin'?"

"If only…" Suguro muttered heatedly. "Tch. No, it's his damn skirt-chasin' that's getting' on my nerves. Can barely walk around school without 'im disappearin' with some girl on his arm."

"Flirtin', huh?" Rin sniggered. "I guess he hasn't changed much at all since we were kids. 'Member when he thought Yukio was a girl? He started callin' him Yuki-chan." He laughed a bit. It was nice to remember these kinds of things, even if he hadn't been particularly good friends with Shima.

"Haha, yeah. He even drew hearts on that first letter. He got so disappointed when he found out he wasn't talkin' with a girl."

The two of them laughed for a while at that. Then, Suguro asked, "Do they even talk all that much anymore? Shima doesn't bring him up much anymore. He's always been a lil tightlipped 'bout your brother though."

Rin blinked at the question and, for the first time, thought about it. He'd been so stressed out with his own school situation that he hadn't noticed. "Now that ya mention it. Yukio barely talks about Shima anymore. Haven't seen him write a letter in weeks. Then again, he could be writin' it when I'm not around."

"I see…" Suguro sighed. "Was hopin' yer brother might back me up in reignin' in that idiot."

Rin let out a long "Hmmm." He nodded slightly. "Well I'll ask Yukio 'bout it. He's been all studious lately so it's probably just that he doesn't talk about it ta me anymore." He checked how much money he had left in his pocket and spoke up again. "So, how 'bout I give you the number to the monastery and ya can call whenever ya want." He grinned. "I don't got a phone yet but if I ever get one, I'll give ya the number ta that too."

"Sounds good."

After they exchanged numbers, Suguro cleared his throat and said, "…it was nice talkin' to ya after all this time. I know I've told ya this before but, I'm... glad we met, Rin."

Rin smiled softly. "Yeah. Me too, Ryuuji. I dunno where I'd be withoutcha."

"Probably still thinkin' that tomatoes grow on trees." Suguro chuckled "I'll… call ya. An' I'll be waiting ta hear from ya soon too. If I don't pick up, I'll call ya back when I can," he promised.

"I was nine!" Rin huffed and pouted off to the side. "Yeah, yeah. Same ta you. Talk to ya later, alright?" He couldn't help but smile despite himself.

"Yeah… See ya."

Suguro's parting words were uttered softly. There was a quiet fond tone that curled around them and lingered in the air long after the call ended. Despite how far away the two of them were at the moment, both Suguro and Rin were sharing identical smiles. And, as Suguro looked down at the phone in his hand, he felt that smile broaden. His heart felt full, sated.

It had been six years since he'd first met Rin. He'd always treasured the connection he'd built with the other boy over the years. Now, as he stared at Rin's name displayed on his screen, he felt that connection deepen, and couldn't feel any more glad for it.


	20. December 8, 2007

_As you can tell, the dates for all the chapters have been fixed for both this story and Until Next Time. Ages still stand. Currently Suguro is 14 years old and Rin is 13._

* * *

"Ryuuji! Get back here and apologize to your father!"

Suguro ignored his mother's words and stalked off in a fury, his hands clenched at his side. He could hear Konekomaru and Shima whispering behind him, but he paid them no mind and they made no move to follow him.

_That damn geezer! _

Suguro squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calm his temper, but by the time he'd reached his room, his fists were shaking. The urge to hit someone, to yell at someone, was at an all-time high. He'd only barely resisted from doing so just a few minutes ago. He hadn't dared strike his own father, but he'd wanted to.

He'd wanted to.

It was for a damn good reason too. He didn't understand why his mom wasn't as pissed off as he was, not after he had told her that he had caught his dad flirting around. Sure, Suguro hadn't caught what they'd been saying, but he'd seen how damn close they'd gotten to each other. Even worse was the fact that Suguro hadn't seen his father in days, an irritatingly reoccurring habit that kept increasing lately. He'd been worried, anxious, and angry this entire time, and when he'd finally spotted the back of his father's bald head on his way home from school, his heart had loosened in relief. The sight of the curvy, full-lipped woman in front of him, however, had immediately brought back his anger.

"…the absolute worst…"

Suguro's head throbbed.

He felt awful. He hadn't felt this awful in years.

Plopping down on the floor with his back against the wall was a familiar habit, as was pressing the heel of his palms into his eyes. Suguro sat there, motionlessly, and felt none of the tension in his body loosen. He thought about meditating, but his mind was too full to empty and his emotions too sensitive to ease. The only thing that he felt like doing right now was—

"Rin…"

The word escaped his lips quietly. Suguro thought of the letters sitting in his desk drawer and of the number stored in his phone; a number he called often, these days. Suguro took out his phone then and looked down at it with a troubled frown. The creases between his eyebrows became less pronounced the longer he stared at the bright screen. He was able to swallow down some of his anger as he thought of Rin, of his laugh, of the welcoming sound of his voice.

A pang of longing, mixed with guilt, pulsed inside of him. Suguro soon found himself giving into the only urge he always allowed himself to do, and called Rin.

The person who picked up the phone wasn't Rin.

"Hello?" It was an older man's voice. One of the priests. "This is Father Nagatomo. How can I help you?"

Suguro's stomach sank. He swallowed down his ridiculous disappointment—he shouldn't have expected Rin to answer the phone. It was always a free-for-all when he called, he knew that. He'd just forgotten.

"Ah, 'llo, Father…" he muttered. He cleared the gruffness out of his throat and continued in a steadier voice. "It's, uh, Ryuuji. 'S Rin there?" He tried not to sound as desperate or as eager as he felt.

"Ah, Ryuuji-kun!" Nagatomo's smile could be heard in his voice. "Yes, of course. Let me get him." There was a soft clatter as the phone was placed down and muffled voices in the background. Finally, Rin's voice slowly rose in volume as it got closer to the phone.

"…Yeah, okay!" There was rustling as he picked up the phone. "Ryuuji? Hey. I was jus' thinkin' of callin' ya. What's up?" Rin sounded happy as always when he grabbed the phone.

Hearing Rin's voice brought the relief Suguro had been hoping for. His tense muscles loosened and the creases between his eyebrows smoothed out slightly. "Rin…" he murmured. He let the sound escape him like a sigh, or perhaps like a plea. Why couldn't everything be as simple as talking to Rin? "Hey… I was hopin' ta catcha at home. Ya busy?" he asked quietly.

"Not really." Rin's voice had lowered in cheer as if he understood that something was bothering Ryuuji. "What's goin' on? Are ya alright?"

"…'S just… my dad," Suguro grunted slightly. "I got in a fight with 'im again…"

"Oh." There was a silence on the other line before suddenly a loud scraping of a chair was heard. It seemed Rin had sat down by the phone. "Well, I'm here for ya. What happened?"

Suguro took a few seconds to answer. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it and relive it all over again. It'd be easier to just talk to Rin and let himself cool off. Now that he had Rin on the line, however, the entire spiel felt ready to spill from his lips. Rin, at least, would understand. He'd listen. He'd see Suguro was right to be angry.

"…I caught that damn geezer flirtin' around," Suguro finally said, letting out a low growl. His fingers tightened around his phone as he spoke. "Ma ain't even mad about it, though she did give 'im shit for disappearin' for the last couple o' days. He didn't even explain where the hell he'd been!"

"Jeez…" Rin's voice was quiet and shocked and a burst of static signaled a deep sigh. "That sucks… An' he wouldn't talk to ya? There has ta be some sorta reason, right?"

Suguro let out a vague, somewhat frustrated grunt at the question. What reason in the world would it be? Wasn't it all obvious? _My bastard failure of a father doesn't give a shit about us. _Suguro felt his heart clench fiercely, a sharp stab that spread across his chest like a bitter poison. It felt hard to breathe. Closing his eyes only brought the memory of his father giving him that accursed appeasing smile, of the smell of booze sticking to his clothes, of his mother placing a steadfast hand on his dad's shoulders like it belonged there—like he deserved it.

"My dad," Suguro hissed as the pain in his chest stung deeply, "is the worst." He swallowed thickly. "Everyone's right about 'im. He's a damn disgraceful monk and an awful father. Always disappearin' off ta gods knows where, bein' damn freakin' secretive. If he's gonna leave, he should damn well _leave,_" he snarled.

"Hey, don't say that." Rin's voice went quieter and there was definitely a stern tone to it. "I get that your angry and stuff but… He's still your dad. Your family. Ya can't jump to conclusions so fast, 'specially when it's family. Ya gotta work an' figure it out." He sighed. "An'… If he doesn't wanna tell ya… I dunno, Ryuuji. I'm always gonna be here for ya, whatever ya decide, but don't give up on your dad so quick."

Suguro tried to let Rin's words reach him. He wanted to follow his advice. He didn't want to feel this doubt, this betrayal. "He makes it so damn hard…" he muttered. He pressed the phone closer to his ear and felt the heat of the screen press against his cheek. He wished Rin was here, next to him. "'M too pissed right now ta think 'bout forgivin' him." _He doesn't deserve it. _

_…right?_

Suguro's stomach twisted. A strange mix of uncertainty, hope, and fear expanded at the bottom of his stomach. Nothing about this situation sat right with him, but Rin's voice was so comforting, and Suguro… he wanted to believe.

"Ya might be right though..." He sighed heavily and slumped further on his spot, slouching as he bent his knees and pulled them closed to him. He propped up his elbows on top of them as he continued to speak. "Ma… she ain't someone to mess with. She wouldn't let him fool around." Suguro licked his lips. "An' my pops is a lotta things but he wouldn't… he _wouldn't_, right?"

"Ya always told me how great your dad was." The voice on the line was soft and smiling. "An' my dad does some pretty dumb stuff too an' he's always talkin' bout pretty girls an' stuff but he's still a good guy. There's just gotta be a reason, Ryuuji." He seemed determined in that fact. "No dad's gonna act like that without a reason, not the dad you told me about. He loves ya an' I know it 'cause that's what dads are supposed to do."

Rin's words burned. They were sweeter than a medicine, but still just as hard to swallow. Suguro's eyes felt damp as he struggled with the jarring images in his mind. It'd been getting tougher, as he'd grown up, to look at his dad with the same eyes he'd had as a child. Looking up to him was hard now. His father's careless behavior tested Suguro's belief in him constantly. Doubting his love though… That was a first, and he felt deeply guilty for it despite what he'd seen… or what he thought he'd seen.

"…Yeah," Suguro finally answered, roughly. He cleared his throat desperately, embarrassed at the sound of his voice, and tried to continue in a steadier tone, but it was hard to speak through the lump that had formed in his throat. "…Ah, yeah, you're right, I…" A deep, shuddery breath escaped him, loosening his anxieties and strengthening his will. "'M just bein' dumb. Sorry…"

"It's okay. You're not dumb…" Rin sighed softly and there was a silence on the line. It lasted for a few seconds before there was an intake of breath, another second, and finally he spoke. "I just… Wish I could be there with ya. This would be a lot easier." He sighed again.

"Tell me 'bout it…" Suguro rubbed the moistness out of his eyes as a quiet, helpless smile formed on his lips. "But… Even though we ain't near… I'm glad I can talk ta ya like this. It… It helps. So… thanks." Rather than embarrassed, Suguro's words came out heartfelt and sincere.

"Well, you're my best friend, Ryuuji. 'Course ya can talk to me." Rin's voice sounded a bit more enthusiastic. "I'm gonna be here for you and you're gonna be here for me so, ya don't need ta worry 'bout that. An' ya don't need ta thank me either. We're friends an' that's what I'm supposed ta do."

"I know that, ya dork…" The smile came on more easily now. Fonder too. "I'm still gonna thank ya if I feel I gotta though, so ya might as well put up with it," Suguro said, chuckling this time.

"If it'll make ya feel better," Rin replied with a laugh.

"Heh." Suguro shook his head. He had to admit that he did feel much lighter than he had been when he had first phoned Rin. He was glad he had called him.

"I've missed talkin' to ya." Suguro sounded rueful. "Sorry it's been a while again. Ya know how it is around here."

"S'alright," Rin said with an off-handed tone. "'S been kinda busy 'round here too. Just glad I can talk to ya when I can, yanno?"

"Yeah, same here…" Suguro agreed. "What have ya be up ta lately anyway?"

"Ah, it's uh… Just the same stuff, really…" Rin's voice lowered a bit in volume. "S' nothin' different."

Suguro knew that tone. He frowned. "Your brother's still gettin' on yer case about that fight ya got into the other week?"

Rin sighed. "Among other things…"

Suguro's expression twisted in sympathy "…Don't let it getcha down, Rin. He just worries 'bout ya," he assured him.

"I know!" Rin huffed a bit, "I know, I know…" He repeated the words with a bit of a softer tone. "'S just… Nothin' changes is all."

Rin sounded so tired. Suguro felt that ache again, that need to be at the other's side. It was frustrating.

"Hey, things won't stay the same forever... Jus' do your best," he said in the most encouraging tone he could muster, but these were worn-out words by now. They've begun to feel meaningless as of late. Not because he didn't believe in the other but… because he wished he could do something else to help Rin. Suguro believed in the power of words, especially after having traded so many with Rin throughout all these years. But sometimes… he knew words just weren't enough.

"Yeah… I'm doin' my best." Rin fell silent for a bit. "You… You gotta do your best too, alright? We both got hard stuff goin' on so…"

"Yeah…" Suguro sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. The beaded bracelet around his wrist reminded him of his father all over again, but it also reminded him of the smaller one Rin had sent him ages ago, back when they had first started to rely on each other like this. He still kept it, even if it no longer fit him. It was sitting faithfully next to all his old letters. "We've got each other though…" he murmured, smiling slightly. "Dunno what I would've done if I hadn't talked to ya today."

"I dunno, probably cry!" Rin replied with a boisterous and teasing tone. He was always quick to bounce back. "Don't ya worry, Ryuuuuuji~ I'll wipe yer face an' blow yer nose!"

A stifled laugh escaped Suguro's lips. "Funny," he said as dryly as he could, grinning widely.

A comfortable silence settled between them. It wasn't the first time it had happened. It was nice sometimes, just listening to each other breathing, knowing the other was there.

"Well, I guess I oughta… go patch things up. Ma's probably still fumin'." Reluctant as he felt about it, Suguro wasn't the type to put things off.

"Yeah. I gotta go too," Rin responded. There was movement heard on the other side and the scrape of a chair being moved back to its spot. "I got somethin' pretty important today!" He sounded proud of himself. "If it works out, I'll letcha know."

"…?" Suguro's brows furrowed slightly, but curious as he was, he didn't press. "Yeah, alright. Good luck, then. Talk to ya later."

"Yeah, you too. I'll call ya later t'night and letcha know." Rin promised. "See ya!"

Rin smiled as he hung up the phone. He was glad whenever he spoke with Ryuuji and even if it hadn't been an entirely happy conversation, he felt like it was still a sort of good luck charm for his first day on his first job.

"You better get going, Rin, you're going to be late."

"I know already, old man! I'm goin'!"


	21. March 9-12, 2009

We've come to a full circle~ As you might've guessed, Rin & Ryuujii are currently 15.

* * *

_March 9, 2009_

_Rin, _

_I know I could've called, but I thought I'd send ya a letter for old time's sake. First of all, I got the scholarship. Haven't told anyone else yet, wanted ya ta be the first one to know. Though, by the time ya get this letter, I'll probably be breakin' the news to my parents. I'll tell Shima an' Konekomaru later tonight. Don't think they'll be too surprised about this even though I've kept it a secret all this time. Wonder how they'll react… I feel kinda bad for leavin' them behind, but I can't stay around here twiddlin' my thumbs. I've been tellin' ya for years now, but my mind's made up an' no one's stopping me. I'm gonna become an exorcist. I'm gonna do my best to become the head monk and rebuild my family's temple._

_Yer probably tired of hearin' me say that by now, huh? Well, put up with it a lil bit longer. This ain't a dream I'll be chasing after forever. I'm makin' it come true._

_That aside, you know I've been savin' up money for a while so I can go visit ya… an' since True Cross Academy is near your area, I was wonderin' if I could stay at your place for… well, as long as you'll have me. I'm packed an' ready ta go any time. Don't really wanna stick around here after I tell my parents I'm leavin'. It's fine if I can't, but I'm definitely droppin' by for a short visit before headin' ta school. It's about damn time. Lookin' forward to seein' ya finally, and eatin' your cooking too. _

_Hope this letter finds you well, and that I hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Ryuuji_

* * *

_March 12, 2009_

_Ryuuji,_

_I was so surprised when I got your letter! It made me feel like a kid again! Anyway, congratulations on your scholarship! My old man says you can definitely come over! Yukio's going to True Cross Academy too but he's leaving a week early so if you come over, you can take his bed! I hope things blow over well with your ma and pops._

_I'm not tired of hearing your dream, yanno. I'm real happy for you! Seeing you finally start achieving your dream is so cool and I feel like my dream is being achieved too! I don't know if that sounds weird or something. But I just feel really happy for you!_

_I'M SO EXCITED! I finally get to meet you after all these years! It feels like my whole life! You better be ready because I ain't holding back when I see you!_

_Hope this letter finds you well, and I'll see you soon!_

_Sincerely,_

_Rin_


	22. March 29, 2009 (Afternoon)

It had been nearly three weeks since he had written to Rin, two weeks since he had told his parents he was leaving, and one week since he had found out his friends were also leaving with him. They had all just finished packing yesterday. Konekomaru and Shima were heading early to school, much like Rin's brother. Meanwhile, Suguro…

Suguro was currently on his way to Rin's house.

He was on the train right now, waiting to be dropped off at the station closest to Rin's place. Rin had said he'd meet him there. He was probably already there. Suguro felt so damn nervous. He'd been dreaming about this for years, had been thinking about it nonstop since he'd sent that letter. He couldn't believe it was finally happening. His stomach kept turning and it was hard to keep still. The anticipation of it all had him fiddling with the bracelets around his wrist constantly.

Time seemed to be passing by way too slowly. It was hard to enjoy the refreshing change of scenery outside the window. Suguro kept catching his own reflection on the glass every now and then, and the image made him feel even more self-conscious.

Just this morning, Suguro and Shima had gone and done something completely outrageous. Without telling any of their family, they'd gone and dyed their hair. Suguro had been wanting to do as much ever since Kinzou had bleached his hair two years ago. He hadn't dared to do it while he still lived at home, knowing that his mom would get on his case about it, but now that he was leaving… well, it felt like the time was right. He wanted a change anyway. He didn't want to be seen as the same old 'Bon' forever.

And so, without a shred of hesitation, Suguro had gotten the middle part of his hair bleached. He'd gotten his ears pierced too. The end result was something he'd been proud of, even if his friends had teased him a little about being so extreme.

_Not like Shima has any room to talk… _Suguro thought with a slight smirk. His friend had gone all out himself and dyed his entire hair pink. The look oddly suited him, though it was a little weird to get used to at first.

"Attention passengers, we will be arriving at Southern True Cross Station in a few minutes. Please make sure to gather all your belongings before exiting to your left."

Suguro was caught off-guard by the announcer's voice. Was it time yet? He checked his phone needlessly and muttered a quick chant to try to settle down his nerves. As the train came to a stop, Suguro got up to his feet, grabbed his duffle bag, and after a moment of hesitation, he stuffed the baseball cap he had been wearing in it before stepping out the doors.

* * *

Rin was standing on the platform, checking his watch. However, right when he looked up, the train began to pull into the station, right on time. He swallowed nervously, bouncing on the balls of his feet and fiddling with the beads around his wrist. He looked around at all the passengers stepping off the train, searching for a face he recognized, a face he only saw in pictures they'd sent each other over the years. Every person that wasn't Ryuuji caused his heart to drop further and further into his stomach. Maybe he missed the train? Maybe he'd gotten the date wrong? He was about to check the note he'd written to himself again for about the seventeenth time when he finally saw him.

The hair was definitely different, but he knew that face. He knew it from the days he spent staring at his pictures, wondering when he'd be able to see him face to face. He knew it from when he closed his eyes as they spoke on the phone, pretending they were in front of each other, pretending he was there with an arm around his shoulder whenever he fiddled with those beads around his wrist. But it was there. He was real.

"Ryuuji!" Rin nearly screamed, excitement and pure, undiluted glee flooding through him. He ran straight at him and, without an ounce of hesitation, jumped into a tight hug, embracing him tightly as he bounced on his toes.

"Rin!" The name came out as a slight gasp. Suguro struggled to keep up right but as soon as he found his balance, his arms wound right around Rin's waist tightly, unmindful of the people around them. Something in his chest sparkled, first like fireworks, and then settling down like the steady burn of incense—peaceful, warm, perfect. His nerves calmed all at once.

A laugh bubbled up in Rin's chest and he tightened his grip on his childhood friend. Rin was so happy, he could barely contain himself. This fact was apparent as, after a few moments in the firm embrace, he pulled away to wipe a few tears that had welled up in his eyes. "Oh man…" His voice was nearly trembling. "'M sorry, this is so lame." Rin was laughing as he wiped his face with the sleeves of his hoodie. "I'm just so happy!"

The fireworks sparkled again in Suguro's chest, fainter now, but just as powerful. "Same here," he admitted gruffly, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassedly. His fingers tingled as they brushed against the hot skin there. He swallowed slightly, but the feeling remained there, right under his skin, expanding rather than receding. "Can't believe I'm finally here," he said, and a quick breathless chuckle escaped him. He couldn't stop staring at Rin's face. He kept drinking the moment in, as if he'd been thirsty his whole life up until this very moment.

He understood exactly why the other was crying. Still, he teased him. "C'mon, dork. Not gonna cry the whole way to yer house now, are ya?"

"I'm not!" Rin protested loudly, a laugh behind his voice. He took a deep breath and a loud sniff and stood straight with freshly dried eyes. There was still a wide smile on his face and he was sure that it'd probably be there all day. Maybe all week. But now it was time to address the other thing that had caught his eye.

"And that hair!" Rin reached up and touched the bleached streak. "It looks really cool. Ya look like a punk." He let out a gleeful snigger. "When'd you get it done? An' you got so many earrings too!" He marveled as he noticed Ryuuji's new jewelry.

"Who're ya callin' a punk?" Suguro ducked his head slightly to hide his grin. A light shiver ran down his spine as he felt Rin's fingers brush over the tips of his hair. "Got it all done this mornin'. Shima did too. Dyed his hair pink." Suguro glanced back at Rin's awed expression and felt his grin widen. "Took a picture when he wasn't lookin' but I'll show ya later. We oughta get goin' first?" he asked.

"Pink?!" Rin snickered. "Can't wait to see that!" He was still wonderfully happy as he nodded. "Yeah! I cooked a whole meal for when you got here. It's in the oven now so we better get back. C'mon." Rin lead the way out of the train station and headed down the sidewalk. As they walked, Rin was jabbering away.

"I got a whole week off for this!" Rin immediately felt bad for lying and moved to correct his statement. "Well... I mean I got fired a coupla days ago, but I'll look for another job when ya leave. I don't wanna waste any time while you're here." Rin smiled brightly at Ryuuji.

Suguro resisted the urge to wince at the news. He wondered what had happened this time but didn't ask, not wanting to spoil the mood. "…I see. Well, 'm lookin' forward to finally tryin' out yer food," he said, smiling back. "It'd better be worth the trip. Ya been braggin' ta me for ages now. I better be damn impressed by it," he warned, nudging the other with his elbow.

"You will be!" Rin put his hands behind his neck and grinned with a relaxed smile, though he was anything but relaxed. "I'm glad you finally get to try it too. I've been lookin' forward to this since those cookies I sent you once!" He let out a loud, blissful sigh. "Ah, man. I suddenly got all nostalgic."

"Thinkin' about what a cute brat you were before?" Suguro chuckled. "Though you're still a tiny brat, ain't ya? Way shorter than I expected," he said smugly.

"'M not short!" Rin said loudly and indignantly. "You're just a giant!"

"You're short," Suguro insisted, mercilessly. "Bet your lil brother would hold it over your head if he weren't so nice."

"Why, you!" Rin jumped up and purposefully messed up Ryuuji's hair. "Get down here, big guy!" He was already laughing though.

"Oi!" Suguro swatted the other's hand away. "Quit it," he groused. He ran his fingers through his hair slightly, scrunching his nose about the way his fringe fell over his forehead.

Rin grinned with another snigger as Ryuuji grumbled and pushed back his hair. "You should probably get a spray, or maybe gel." He offered the information.

Suguro made a quiet, appreciative grunt. "Mmm, yeah. Might do that." Though he had purposely grown out his hair like this, he hadn't thought it would be this annoying. Whatever the hairstylist had applied earlier seem to have loosened its hold after having been mussed up by Rin. The cap he had worn earlier probably hadn't help matters.

Suguro's earlier nervousness began to rise again as he thought of his hair.

"So… your, uh, dad's gonna be home, huh? Rest of the priests too?"

"Yep!" Rin smiled at the question. "They're all dyin' to meetcha."

Suguro resisted the urge to put his hat back on. "…That so?" he mumbled. "And, uh, your brother? Left already?"

"Yeah. He left early this mornin'." Rin looked at Ryuuji, recognizing his quiet tone. "Whatcha all embarrassed for? Don't worry. They're gonna love you." He grinned reassuringly.

Suguro felt his face color slightly. "I ain't embarrassed!" he growled. "…Jus' a lil nervous is all, this bein' the first time an' all," he muttered, clutching the strap of his duffle bag a little tighter.

This was all, in a way, more nerve-wracking that meeting Rin. The anticipation he'd had before had melted upon lying his eyes on the shorter teen, and he'd felt… comfortable, relieved, and happy in a way he hadn't experienced before until now. Meeting his best friend's family, on the other hand… well, he wanted to make a good impression. Suguro had spoken with them all over the phone before, and he knew they liked him. He just wanted it to live up to whatever expectations they had of him.

Rin sniggered and smiled brightly, seeing Ryuuji's reddened face. He'd always known his friend to be a confident individual but it made him happy to see him get nervous. It made him feel important. Wanted. "You're gonna do fine." He smiled and nodded.

"It's right 'round here."

After making a turn the corner, they came upon the monastery. Rin smiled a bit, looking at Ryuuji for his impression on his home.

Suguro looked up at Rin's words and the first thing that caught his eye was the large cherry blossom tree which was in full bloom. A few pink petals were falling as the wind blew, scattering down to the ground until they fell at their feet. The two of them stopped at the front entrance, right before the main gate. Before him was a large building he'd seen before only in pictures.

"Wow..." Suguro muttered quietly, feeling oddly awed to be standing here after all this time. It felt a little surreal.

The monastery was larger than it had seemed in the pictures. It was old, the buildings worn though obviously well-cared for. It was a refreshingly quaint and familiar sight, especially since it was surrounded by the many skyscrapers of the city.

Rin felt pride swell in his chest at the sight of his friend's expression. "Yeah, it's pretty nice." He grinned and nodded towards the building. "C'mon. Let's go in." His grin turned teasing. "Don't faint, 'kay?"

Suguro broke out of his stupor. "Who will?!" he grumbled, following after Rin who lead the way in through the gate and opened the door.

"I'm home!" Rin called in.

A tall priest with shaggy brown hair stepped out of the kitchen and smiled upon seeing them.

"Welcome home, Rin. And Ryuuji-kun is here!" The man called towards the kitchen before walking towards him to shake his hand. "Rin always talks about you. I feel like we know each other well already." He laughed.

"Don't tell him that!" Rin huffed with red cheeks as the other priests walked out followed by Shiro Fujimoto. The priests that Ryuuji had briefly talked to over the phone as they'd grown up all walked up to and greeted him warmly, leaving Shiro to do so last.

"Old man!" Rin looked at his dad with a puffed out chest. "This is Ryuuji."

"Yep." Shiro grinned. "Nice to finally meet you. Rin speaks very fondly of you."

Rin flushed and looked away again at the now familiar comment.

Suguro felt more than a little overwhelmed by it all. He accepted everyone's greetings politely, trying not to seem as flustered as he felt, but when they didn't even bat an eyelash at his appearance, his shoulders automatically loosened and he ducked his head to hide his smile.

His gaze rose again when Rin's dad stepped up to greet him. Suguro's pulse quickened. "Father Fujimoto!" He bowed slightly. "Thank ya for allowin' me to stay over this week. I swear I won't cause ya any trouble an' um… Glad I finally got to meetcha, sir."

Shiro let out a soft chuckle. "Don't be so formal. You're a good friend of Rin's so you're welcome in this home without trouble!" He grinned. "Now, Rin. Go get your friend settled in and then check on that dinner of yours."

"Ah! Right!" Rin smiled brightly at Ryuuji. "C'mon. I'll show ya where you can put down your stuff." He tugged on Ryuuji's sleeve to lead him through the small crowd of priests whom were already gossiping about the two. They made their way down the corridor and up the stairs.

When they got to Rin's room, Suguro felt inwardly relieved. He'd felt the priests' gazes on him even after they had gotten out of their sight. It wasn't bad, just… different. Nice.

He didn't let this show on his face though.

"So. Ya talk 'bout me all the time, huh?" Suguro shot Rin a small, playful smirk as he dropped his bag next to his friend's bed. He quietly took in the sight of the room, his eyes lingering on the desk for a second, before focusing back in Rin himself.

Rin's face flushed again and he grabbed the goodbye note that Yukio left him and stuffed it into a drawer.

"Oh shaddup," he grumbled. "I talk 'boutcha a little… You're my best friend, yanno. But they make it seem like I never shut up 'boutcha."

"Right... Whatever ya say." Suguro's smirk widened just a tad, but he felt pleased. "C'mon, then. 'S about time ya impress me," he said, tilting his head back to the door. "We can do whatever after. Got some things for ya."

"Ah, seriously!?" Rin's eyes widened at the prospect of presents from Kyoto. He'd never gone on his Kyoto trip in middle school since he'd dropped out beforehand. On top of that, Ryuuji had brought them so they were bound to be special. But the presents could surely wait for later.

"Yeah, c'mon. Hope you're hungry!" He grinned, trotting backwards out of the room before turning and jogging down the stairs and back towards the kitchen.

Now that he wasn't as jittery as before, Suguro took in his surroundings a little more thoroughly. From the inside, the monastery looked equally as worn, but it was clean, with no signs of dust lingering on the edge of the windowsills. It was obvious to tell that the place was well-cared for. They passed a few stray paintings of religious figures as they made their way down a hallway. Suguro didn't recognize them, save for a few he'd come across lately in his studies.

But whereas the majority of the place seemed as sacred as he had expected, the kitchen looked warmer and welcoming.

_Rin's territory, _Suguro thought with a hidden grin.

The table was already set and there was a mouthwatering scent coming from the oven. Suguro's stomach growled in hunger, much to his embarrassment.

Rin was humming as he hopped into the kitchen, snagging his oven mitts from the counter. As he opened the oven to check on the food, a presence appeared at Suguro's side.

"He bought all the ingredients himself." Shiro stood beside the teen, chuckling as he watched his son taking the large casserole out of the oven. "He's been pouring over recipe books this past week, preparing for your arrival." He grinned and looked at Ryuuji. "He's got the entire week's meals planned out. He said you were looking forward to his cooking."

Suguro nearly flinched at the sudden voice. As it was, his heart was still thumping hard in his chest when he looked to his side. _When did he…?_

Suguro forced himself to relax and take in the other's words.

"O-Oh?" A slight red tinge rose on his cheeks at the thought of all the effort Rin had been going through just for him. "I see…" When he glanced back at Rin, he immediately took notice of the happy grin on the shorter teen's face, which made his own expression melt into a similar, softer smile.

Shiro looked at Suguro for a few moments. "He also tells me you're going to True Cross Academy. Will you be attending cram school?"

Suguro's smile vanished as quickly as it had come. Surprise, confusion, and finally realization filtered through his mind. "I… Yes." He shot the older man a quick glance, frowning, and he finally caught sight of the familiar pendant hanging off the priest's neck. It was one he'd seen often around his house. He couldn't believe he had missed it earlier.

"You're part of the Order too, aren'tcha, sir?" Suguro murmured quietly. It made sense. Hadn't Rin mentioned it once? It had been so long ago, an offhanded remark in one of their letters. It had slipped from Suguro's mind.

Shiro chuckled. "Yes. I am." He lifted a finger and placed it over his own lips. "Rin doesn't know what an exorcist really means. So I'll ask you to keep quiet about that. I'll tell him in my own time."

"Oi! What're ya two whisperin' about?" Rin had finally spotted them and was scowling at his father.

"Ah, can't I get to know your best friend without being questioned?" Shiro replied in a teasing tone.

"You're probably askin' him weird questions!" Rin waved a fork threateningly. "Get outta here, old man! I'll call you when dinner's finished!"

Shiro began laughing and waved a hand placating manner. "Alright, alright." He looked back to Ryuuji. "It was nice speaking to you. Please give my words some thought." And with that, he turned to leave the kitchen.

Rin walked up to Ryuuji and watched his dad leave with slightly pink cheeks. "He didn't ask anything weird, did he?"

"H-Huh?" Suguro was still trying to take in what had just happened. The man he'd just interacted with had shown him a side he hadn't expected. Suguro felt… intimidated. Moreover, he was confused. What had the priest meant by that? Rin really didn't know about the Order? His dad had been keeping it a secret?

Anger sparked quietly in his gut, followed by a deep ache of disappointment. A frown threatened to cloud over his expression, but Suguro clenched his jaw and tried not to let his inner feelings show. He didn't want to cause trouble, not today. Not when he was finally here with Rin. They were supposed to be enjoying this time. He wasn't going to ruin things.

…Suguro decided to let this incident be for now and promised himself to bring it up later. He'd apologize to Rin for putting it off then, even though he was sure the other would understand.

"It was nothin'. Was jus' askin' me 'bout school," he finally said, forcing himself to relax. Though he still felt troubled, the smile on his lips came a little easier as he looked back at Rin. "How's dinner then? Need a hand with anythin'?"

Rin stared at Ryuuji for a moment before he too smiled. "Not really. But you wanna try it? I'll give you a sneak peek and you can tell me if it's good." He moved to grab a small plate and spoon from the cabinet and drawer. He stuck the spoon in the corner of the meaty casserole and put it on the small plate, handing both to Ryuuji. "Here. Try it." He smiled in anticipation.

Suguro accepted the plate, and as much as he wanted to crack a joke, warn the other that he would come back to haunt him if he died from poisoning, the warm inviting smell coming from the plate was making his mouth water.

"Looks great…"

Suguro resisted the temptation to gulp it down in one go and blew gently over the juicy, steaming casserole first. The moment he got a taste of it though, Suguro's eyes widened.

"'S good!" Suguro had never felt so eager to eat a meal. "Ya weren't kiddin' at all! I mean, the stuff you've been sendin' me all these years was great, but this is freakin' amazing!"

Rin felt his face flush immediately upon hearing Ryuuji's words and he ducked his head, grinning at the floor as he lifted a foot to rub it against the back of his leg self-consciously. He felt so relieved and happy that Suguro had liked it, he couldn't help it. "'M glad ya like it. There's definitely gonna be enough for leftovers an' lunch t'morrow too since ya like it so much." He grinned shyly up at the taller teen.

"Heh. Sounds good… Though I ain't lettin' ya skimp out on me. Yer dad told me you've got the whole week planned out, an' after tastin' this, can't say I'm not lookin' forward to it."

Rin was too flattered to be embarrassed and he blushed further. "I am, I am! I'm not gonna change my plans, though I can't believe he told you somethin' like that…" He shot a scowl towards the door his father had left from before looking back at Ryuuji with a smile. "Gladja like it, really. Since it's all for you, yanno," he said bashfully before putting the mitts back on and grabbing the large dish.

"C'mon. I'll call everyone else so ya can sit down an' I'll getcha somethin' ta drink." Rin spoke as he took the still steaming casserole to the table, placing it on the potholders sitting in the center.

The dinner was a pleasant ordeal. Suguro was still a little intimidated by Rin's family, especially after that talk he had with Rin's dad. Every time he glanced at the gray-haired man, who acted in that same careless manner his own father did, his stomach twisted uncomfortably; but the sight of Rin's grinning face and the warm familiarity of the other priests put him at ease and made him forget the talk of secrets.

After all, these were the voices he'd heard over the phone for most of his life, briefly as those moments had been, and even now they treated him with fondness, as if he was right where he belonged.

It was nice, kind of like being at home.

"Oh! That's right. Rin, you're in luck! We found you a job opening while you were out picking up Ryuuji-kun. The interview's tomorrow."

"Huh?" Rin stared at Izumi, crestfallen at the news. "But… Ryuuji's here!"

"Ryuuji-kun is going to be here for a week." Shiro looked at him, sternly. "You can't afford to wait a week and hope that the job will still be there."

"Yeah, but…" Rin scowled at his father, looking none too pleased.

Suguro nudged Rin with his elbow. "Hey, I ain't goin' anywhere. Won't hurt ta give it a chance, right?"

Rin looked at Ryuuji, feeling a helpless sort of sensation wash down his chest. "Fine," he muttered, taking a moody bite of his food.

At the compliance, the priests all stared in shock at Ryuuji. It seemed that they had anticipated a fight and had all been armed with arguments in order to convince Rin to go to the interview. But the fight had ended before it even started.

"Ryuuji-kun! That was amazing! We've never seen Rin agree so quickly!" Kyodo exclaimed as the other priests vehemently agreed.

"What're ya tryin' to say!?" Rin growled crudely, glaring daggers at the other priests.

Suguro stifled a smile behind a mouthful of food.

Yeah, this was just like being at home.


	23. March 29, 2009 (Evening)

By the time they finally got back to Rin's room, Suguro felt full, sated by both the food and the atmosphere of the monastery. The excitement of the day had yet to fade away though. In fact, it spiked up even more as the two of them settled down on Rin's bed, knees inches apart, their backs pressed against the wall.

"I really don't mind ya goin', ya know," Suguro said, speaking up as he noticed the slight tension still lingering on the other's shoulders. It was easier than he thought to read the other's face, even though this was the first day he'd gotten the chance to. "Could go visit ya discreetly. Gotta get to know the town, right?"

Rin turned his head and glanced at Ryuuji. "Yeah I know." He couldn't help but smile a bit despite himself. "I jus' wanna spend 's much time with ya as I can. Yanno, before ya leave." He huffed slightly and stared forward at the opposite wall.

"Yukio said he'd be studyin' too hard to visit on the weekends. He's damn heartless, that kid." Rin grumbled and scratched his head. He turned his gaze back to Ryuuji then. "You'll visit though, right? 'S just a train ride away." His tone was pleading and his eyes hopeful.

Suguro dragged his eyes away, shaking his head as he scoffed. "'Course I will, ya dork." He was already looking forward to being able to visit his friend more often. This wasn't going to be a one-time thing. "An' I'll drag yer brother back with me if I find him too. No matter how busy we get, we'll always have time for ya," he assured him. He'd probably drag Shima and Konekomaru around at some point too. It was about time his friends met. A smile touched his lips at the thought of them all eating together, and it broadened as he thought of warm afternoons, lounging around this room, studying while Rin slept his work shift off or read manga.

Rin's smile grew wide at the promise and he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Ryuuji's shoulders in a tight hug. "Ah, you're the best friend a guy could have!" he professed earnestly. "I'll be lookin' forward to every visit." Rin propped his chin on his friend's shoulder, still grinning from ear to ear. "An' I'll make ya a nice somethin' to eat every time."

Suguro was surprised at how hard the other could squeeze. "Ack! Dude, what're ya, a monkey?" He considered pushing the other's face away when he felt the chin dig into his muscles. A wicked smirk flashed across his face as he thought that over. "No need to be so excited. Did ya really expect me to ditch ya now that I've gotcha so near?" Suguro shifted to get the other under a headlock and began to rub his knuckles into Rin's scalp fiercely.

"Ah! NO!" Rin screeched as his head was suddenly captured and a pain fired up at the top of his head. He gripped at Ryuuji's arm and wriggled, shaking his head and yelping. "Stop! Stop! MERCY!" He pulled at the arm around his neck as he kicked his legs into the bed.

"Hmm? Wha's that? Ya want more?" Suguro spoke over Rin's protests, chuckling as he kept his grip tight, putting all his strength into it.

"NonononoNONONO!" The shorter teen squealed louder and reached up, putting a hand on the back of Ryuuji's neck and pulling him down into the bed. With remarkable strength, Rin was able to wiggle and duck out of the taller teen's hold as he climbed on his back. He put an arm around his best friend's neck and grinned triumphantly, panting from the exertion. "Gotcha right where I wantcha!" he proclaimed as he balled up his fist threateningly above Ryuuji's hair.

"…!" Suguro grunted in surprise as his face hit the mattress. He pulled a face as he realized he'd lost the upper hand and tried to shift away from the other's hold. "Ya really _are_ a monkey…!" he grumbled, snorting in amusement. He glanced behind him and upon seeing Rin's poised fist, he immediately moved to cover his hair protectively. "Don'tcha dare," he warned. "You've messed up my hair enough today."

"Don't give it if ya can't take it!" Rin snickered devilishly. He pushed Ryuuji's hands out of the way and quickly, before he could move them back, rubbed his knuckles into the streaked hair, being careful not to use his full strength.

"Aagh!" Suguro squirmed and tried to knock Rin's hands away, shuddering at the unpleasant sensation. "Dammit, Rin!" he groaned. It became a battle of limbs then as the two struggled to one-up the other, letting out huffing laughter and growls until finally, they hit the floor with a loud thump.

"_Ugh_. 'kay, that hurt." Suguro bit his lower lip to hide his grin, barely wincing at the slight ache on his back. He had his fingers tangled up in Rin's hair, and the younger boy's face was pressed up to his stomach. Without giving it a thought, he shoved his head right off and smirked as the other's chin hit the floor.

"Ow! Haha!" Rin turned onto his back and rubbed his chin as laughter bubbled up from his chest. "That was fun." He looked at Ryuuji with a smile. "I didn't hurtcha too bad, right?" His tone wasn't teasing in the least and the question was quite serious despite his smile.

Suguro prepared himself to deliver a wisecrack but he registered the tone in time. A glance at the other's face_—_at that smile that didn't look remotely _right—_reminded him of the letters he'd clutched in frustration over the years. His gaze softened. "As if ya ever would," he answered, his tone quiet and perhaps even a little exasperated. Still, an understanding smile settled on his lips and remained there as he shook his head. "Right, then. C'mon, get up. Got somethin' to show ya."

Rin's cheeks flushed a little at Ryuuji's tone but it was soon forgotten at his next words. "Hm?" Rin's eyes blinked wide and curious as he sat up, looking at his friend. "What is it?" He got up and reached down, taking Ryuuji's hand and lifting him to his feet rather easily.

Suguro forced himself not to stumble, muscles tight and alert. The surprise was beginning to fade, but Rin's strength was still something to marvel at. He pushed the thought away. "Did ya forget already? I broughtcha somethin'. Sit down." Suguro snatched his duffle bag off the floor and set it on Rin's bed before sitting down, with one leg hanging off the side and the other curled under him. He began to rummage through his bag. It was packed neatly, so it didn't take long at all before Suguro brought out a large, square bundle wrapped in jade silk cloth. It was a little heavy. Suguro looked at the item in his hands and felt his stomach churn anxiously. He took in a quiet breath, relaxed his shoulders, and looked straight at Rin.

"Um. Here," he said, holding the bundle out to Rin.

Rin knelt down on the bed and sat back on his feet as he took the bundle into his lap. He glanced up at Ryuuji with a smile full of anticipation before he peeled back the silk cloth. The hard surface under his fingers was a clean and polished wood. It was a nice quality box with a small latch at the front. Rin had to admit it looked a little pretty but he looked up at Ryuuji curiously. "A box?" he murmured, sure he was missing something.

Suguro looked a little embarrassed. "It's—for the letters." The urge to rub the back of his neck was strong. "Thought ya might want a new one. But, uh, I know yer dad gave ya one, so it's fine if you don't wanna use it. Wasn't…" Suguro cleared his throat. "'S no big deal. An' anyway, there's more inside. So…" He gestured towards the box with his hand and tried to ignore the rising heat in his cheeks.

"Oh!" The light bulb clicked on and Rin was grinning. He placed the box down before he hopped off the bed and lay on the floor on his stomach. He stuck his head under the bed and reached for his box, bumping against a second one on the way. Rin spared it a small frown before he pulled his out and climbed back on the bed. It was an old and worn shoebox, clearly showing its years in the way the corners were broken and filed down.

"Um. Yeah." Rin smiled sheepishly. "They need a new box." He ran his fingers fondly over the top before he placed the old box gingerly down on the sheets. He then lifted the new box back in his lap and opened it up, remembering Ryuuji's last comment.

"Oh, cool!" Rin's eyes lit up as he pulled a sword phone charm from the box, recognizing it as the weapon of the main character in one of his manga. "This is so cool! I didn't know they made these!"

Suguro felt himself relax at Rin's reactions. "Thought ya might like it." He grinned. "Know ya don't have a phone yet, but I thought you could stick it to your wallet or somethin'." His eyes strayed to the old shoebox on the bed. A warm feeling surged in his chest at the sight of it. Just like Rin, Suguro had also kept every one of their letters safe, storing them in a drawer back at home. Now that he'd moved out though, he'd bought himself a decent box too. Currently, his letters were at True Cross Academy as he had sent the box along with the rest of his belongings. It felt odd having them so out of reach for the first time, but he trusted Konekomaru to keep his stuff safe.

Rin grinned brightly and nodded. "Yeah! I'll find a way to carry it around with me," he promised before lifting his left wrist and shaking the prayer beads out from under his sleeve so the taller teen could see them. "Jus' another thing I can carry around that makes me think of ya." Rin's smile grew significantly, and it remained like that as he glanced down again.

He pulled the old letter box beside the new one and lifted the lid off. Rin had kept the letters in order. It was clear by how on one side the envelopes were old and crisp, but the quality gradually became better as it reached the newest letter that sat at the side nearest to Ryuuji. Rin also seemed to have gotten better at opening envelopes as several of the beginning ones had rips that extended down the front and the back. One of the envelopes had even come entirely apart. Rin picked up a small handful of the oldest ones and started transferring the letters into the new box. There was a warm smile on his lips as he focused entirely on his task. He took care to make sure the letters stayed in the same order.

A pleased warmth settled in Suguro's chest as his gaze lingered on the bracelet around Rin's wrist and at the sight of the letters, which looked as well-cared-for as his own.

"I'm glad we kept up the habit," Suguro admitted, somewhat abruptly. He felt that familiar heat of embarrassment curl up in his stomach, though it was somewhat different this time, like a warning. He ignored it and went on, the habit of being sincere with Rin well ingrained in him. "You were a real help all these years. Still are. When yer not bein' a slippery monkey, that is," he added, smirking.

Rin looked at Ryuuji and felt his face start flushing again as his friend expressed his gratitude. He laughed at the joke and shook his head, finishing placing the letters in the new box. "I could say the same to ya, yanno." Rin closed the box gently and held it in his lap. His smile shrunk a bit and his expression turned somber.

"I always… felt bad for not keepin' up with school." The smaller teen looked up at Ryuuji, looking ashamed. "Even though ya said I could do it. I felt like I sorta let ya down."

Suguro's expression wavered before it settled into a small frown. "We've been over this, Rin. I know how hard ya tried. Maybe if I'd been with ya, I could've—helped or somethin', I dunno. Doesn't matter now though. Never did, really. School ain't everything." He shrugged a little helplessly, knowing the words weren't like him, but it was true. If it wasn't for his goals, he wasn't sure he would've tried as hard, certainly not with Shima constantly trying to convince him to take it easy. "You're still tryin' to do yer best to get ahead, aren'tcha? I'm proud of ya for that." He shook his head slightly. Those weren't the right words, no, even though they were true. What he'd meant was…

"I… could never think any less of ya."

Rin let Ryuuji's words wash over him and he looked at his best and only friend with gratitude. He felt the weight of shame lift a bit and he grinned brightly. "Thanks, Ryuuji." He placed the box to the side and shuffled forward on the bed, sitting closer to the taller teen. "Yanno, I was real happy when ya told me ya got into the Academy." Rin's eyes were shining with mirth. "I know I told ya before but I'm really happy for ya."

Rin's smile, Suguro was beginning to realize, was as calming as a sutra. He felt himself relax again at the sight of it. "Thanks," he muttered, a small smile of his own touching his lips. He wasn't just grateful for the words. It was for everything. The encouragement, the support, just the fact that Rin was there, unfailingly, always when Suguro needed him. The support that they've given each other all these years was something irreplaceable.

"You were a real help," he told him. "Still will be, 'm sure. School's gonna be a helluva lot tougher now with—" Suguro stopped. The words _cram school _rang in his head sharply, clearing all thoughts in his head away. Father Fujimoto's serious voice was impossible to forget.

He swallowed. Hesitated. Uncertainty clenched in his gut, but beyond that was that spark of anger.

_'S not fair_, he thought as he looked at Rin, the spark in his eyes, the calming sight of his smile. He didn't want to spoil any of that. But he sure as hell wasn't gonna be keeping secrets from him either.

"Rin." His voice was firm when he spoke next. Eyebrows pulled together, shoulders back, he took one resolute breath through his nose before continuing. "There's somethin' I wanted to talk to ya 'bout…"

Rin's smile faltered slightly and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Okay?" The smaller teen tilted his head. Where had this come from so suddenly?

But before Suguro had a chance to continue, the bedroom door opened and Shiro knocked twice on the wood. "Time to go to sleep, boys." He smiled at the two of them. "It's getting late and Rin's got an interview tomorrow. It's best to get some rest."

Rin grimaced at the mention of the interview but he nodded. "Yeah, alright! Get lost, already." he grumbled, and Shiro chuckled out and bid them a good night before closing the door again.

A light shiver went down Suguro's back. Had Rin's father been listening in on them…?

His jaw clenched. He tried to keep his expression neutral as his mind whirled with thoughts.

_The interview… Dammit, Rin doesn't need this crap right now…!_

Suguro was conflicted. His heart felt heavy and his tongue heavier as he sat there, troubled by the predicament he found himself in. The need to talk to Rin was overwhelmingly strong, but did he dare to bring his friend down to the same awful situation he found himself in?

_Yes!_ a deep part of him rumbled. After all, what good were smiles that kept hidden secrets and lies? And even more shameful was the thought of lying to Rin, of keeping a part of his own life secret from him just because Rin's father had asked him to.

_No way. I…_

When Rin looked back at Ryuuji, the expression on his friend's face was not one he expected. It seemed… wrong. "Ryuuji?" His eyebrows furrowed and he put a hand on one of his. "Hey, are you alright?"

The concern ate away at his guilt. Suguro pulled his hand away to rub the sudden tension at the front of his head, wincing.

"…Sorry. Headache." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. Suguro's skin burned where Rin had touched him. "Hey… Listen, 'bout that talk... Mind if I leave it off 'til tomorrow?" He felt a little better to be given an option—made the burden easier to handle even if it made him feel like a shitty friend.

Rin's lips tightened in disquiet but he nodded regardless. "Yeah, o' course." He grabbed the two boxes and placed them on the desk along with the charm. "Do ya want me to get somethin' to drink for ya? You don't look so good." Rin stood by the desk, eyebrows still furrowed as he wondered if he could do anything for the mysterious troubled look that had suddenly overtaken his friend.

Suguro's head throbbed. He managed a faint smile.

"…I'll be fine. Not bad enough to need pills."

His limbs felt awkward when he got off to his feet. He dragged his bag off of Rin's bed and set it down on the floor again. He could feel Rin's eyes on him, lingering on the tension that had set across his shoulders. Suguro's eyes clenched shut for a moment.

_Tomorrow… Tomorrow, _he promised himself, vowing not to put it off a day longer.

When he turned back around, some of the guilt had settled and he was able to feel more at ease.

"Let's jus' get to sleep."


	24. March 30, 2009 (Morning)

Rin stirred awake at the movement in his room. His eyes blinked blearily against the sun and he turned his head to see Ryuuji rummaging through his bag. Rin sniffed, smelling the scent of sweat from his bed.

"Mornin'..." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he turned to look at the clock. 7:30 AM. "Oh man. So early...!" he protested sleepily.

Suguro glanced over his shoulder, lips twitching at the sight of Rin trying to hide back inside his covers. "Mornin'. Ya gonna keep on sleepin', princess?"

He felt a little bad for waking him up, but Suguro had been up for two hours now and wouldn't mind the company. Rin had to get ready for that interview anyway, even if there were still a few hours before he had to get to it.

First though, a shower. Suguro finished fishing out his clothes from his bag, zipped it back up, and then grabbed the note he'd left on Rin's desk earlier when he went out and tossed it away.

"Who're ya callin' princess?" Rin grumbled as he narrowed his eyes from halfway under the sheets. "Ya gotta be a rooster wakin' up so early." He looked at Ryuuji for a second before he started sniggering. "Yer hair looks like a rooster too..."

"Oi." Suguro's eyes narrowed. He resisted the urge to run his hand through his hair self-consciously. His chin lifted haughtily instead and smirked. "Better a rooster than a monkey," he said, drawling. He tugged the towel hanging around his neck and unrepentantly flung it at the other. "C'mon. If yer awake, don't stay in bed. Gotta make the most of our time."

"Hey!" Rin quickly batted the damp towel off of him and pouted, more awake now than he had been. "Yeah okay. Jeez." He grumbled but there was a small on his lips as he got out of bed and stretched. "You gonna shower?" he asked before he let his arms flop to his sides, feeling a bit more awake now even though it was way too early. Rin knew that if Ryuuji wasn't around, he would have rolled right over and fallen asleep for a couple more hours. But his friend was right. They had to take advantage of the time they had.

"Yeah. Won't take long." Though, Suguro did have to figure out what he was going to do about his hair... "Ya wanna show me around the place after we eat?" The taller teen picked up the fallen towel and slung it over his shoulder.

Rin nodded. "Yeah, we can go do stuff. Since I got…" He frowned in thought. "A while." He finished with a shrug and idly scratched his stomach. "I'll go make breakfast or somethin'."

"Sounds good. See ya in a bit then."

Twenty minutes later, Suguro made his way to the kitchen. In the end, he decided to continue to keep his hair pinned back in the same way he had when he'd gone out for his jog, at least for now. Looking in the mirror was still a little bit weird, but not in a bad way. It was still the same face. The changes he'd done to his hair, the light stubble growing on his chin, and the piercings made him look a bit rougher but it was… nice. He didn't regret it.

_Oh yeah… I oughta show him Shima's picture… _

Thinking about Shima's hair still made him grin. Suguro really had to hand it to Shima. It wasn't as if the look didn't suit his friend, but he had guts for going through with it.

Breakfast was, unsurprisingly, delicious. It wasn't as if Suguro had grown up eating bad food, but Rin's cooking was exceptional. And apparently, not a single one of the priests were used to eating it this early in the morning.

"You ought to move in with us, Ryuuji-kun," Izumi said, chuckling as he set his glass down. "We've never seen Rin get up so early! He usually sleeps in until noon."

"We thought we were going to have problems getting him up in time for his interview!" Kyodo agreed with a laugh.

"Shut up." Rin grumbled with a red face. "You guys are annoying."

"Don't be like that, Rin-kun." Maruta smiled. "We all enjoy having you up this early."

"You just like it 'cause I made you food!" Rin snapped, huffing slightly. "Where's the old man, anyway?"

"Ah, Father Fujimoto is speaking to someone out in the front. So don't disturb him, alright?" Nagatomo warned him as he continued eating.

Rin craned his head and looked out the window. He caught a glimpse of his father speaking to a woman in front of the monastery. "Hm. 'S fine. Ryuuji an' me'll probably go out for a bit before I gotta go." Rin glanced at the taller teen and smiled. "'S that cool with you?"

"Yeah," Suguro answered after swallowing down another bite of his food. "I'm good."

Rin grinned brightly.

"Alright. Well, make sure you get Rin back in time, Ryuuji-kun," Kyodo said.

"Ya don't hafta tell_ him_!"

Rin was still grumbling a bit when they were done with breakfast. The two teens walked out of the monastery in time to see Shiro waving off the woman who had a small girl with her. Rin had a biting comment at the tip of his tongue but he swallowed it down, conscious of the fact that Ryuuji was next to him.

"Hey, old man." Rin looked at him with a dubious frown. "Ryuuji an' me are goin' out for a bit."

"Alright. Don't forget to come back in time to get ready. Don't want to rush," Shiro said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Rin groused before walking past him.

When they rounded the first corner, Suguro allowed himself to relax, glad to be away from the source of his tension. It was a little awkward meeting Father Fujimoto's eyes, even if—no, _especially_ because the older man's face betrayed no sign of deceit. It made Suguro uncomfortable but the vow he'd made himself last night made it easier to bear.

Trying to put the whole issue off his mind for now, Suguro glanced at Rin and noticed the slight tension on his friend's shoulders. His eyebrows furrowed but the expression cleared within moments as he realized what was bugging the other. _He's nervous… _

Suguro wasn't surprised. His friend had a hard time getting a job, and an even harder time keeping one. He hoped today went well for him…

In attempt to relax the other by way of distraction, Suguro reminded him of their purpose.

"So? Where to?" he prompted.

Rin looked at Ryuuji, breaking out of his thoughts. "Ah, sorry, right." He smiled brightly. "This way. I wanna show you somethin'." He picked up the pace, leading the way down the sidewalk. They walked a couple blocks and when they turned the corner, Rin held out his hand grandly in the direction of a small playground. "Ta-da~!" he sang happily.

Suguro took in the sight before him. He'd seen this playground before—in pictures. Rin had sent him photos of it and talked about it a lot in their letters. He recognized the trees, the seesaw at the center, the stray patch of flowers growing around the edges of the walls—and of course, there it was. The famous swing set was just a few feet across from them.

"Place hasn't changed a bit, huh?" Suguro chuckled. "Ya still come here ta play around?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

Rin grinned and hopped over the low fence. "I don't do much playin' anymore." He put his hands in his pockets and stuck out his tongue at Ryuuji. "But yeah, I come here a lot." Rin gravitated towards the swing set automatically and sat down, idly letting it swing him back and forth. "I come here when I need to think." He nodded, looking down at his heels digging into the floor. "Home's too loud sometimes."

Suguro followed Rin with his eyes, feeling the weight behind the statement. "…Yeah, I get that," he said after a moment, shrugging.

And he did. Spacious as his place was, it was hard to get any privacy sometimes. The members of the Myou Dha were a tight-knit group. Between Shima's family and the Houjou's, not to mention the rest of their members, Bon always found himself surrounded by people even as busy as they were with the Order.

Rin looked up at his friend as he spoke and swung to the side, patting the swing seat next to him. "Speakin' of home, how'd that talk with your ma an' pops go?" he asked as he swung idly, holding on to the chains with a loose grip.

The question caused Suguro to instantly grimace.

"'Bout as bad as you'd expect," he grumbled as he made his way to the other swing. "Got in 'nother fight with the old geezer. Ma already guessed I wanted to go, but he was shocked as hell. No surprise there when we barely see his face 'round." Suguro smirked derisively. His fingers curled around the chains a little tighter than he intended when he spoke next. "An' then, when I told them I got the scholarship, _ha! _Should've seen their faces. Priceless."

He did feel a little bad about causing his mom all that trouble, but they'd parted on good terms in the end. His dad though… Suguro hadn't seen him in those last three weeks, not even once. It irked him, but he took a vindictive sort of comfort as he recalled the expression he'd put on his father face when he told him he was leaving.

"After that I found out Konekomaru and Shima were comin' like I told ya. It got real busy once the whole family knew what was goin' on. Glad I could finally get away from it all."

Rin listened, though he didn't fully understand. "Mm… What I don't get is why they're all bent outta shape in the firs' place." He twisted the seat in order to face Ryuuji. "'S not like yer not gonna go back home an' visit, right? So what's the big deal?"

Suguro found himself having a hard time meeting his friend's eyes. "I…" He hesitated and thought about promises, the ones he'd made to himself, to his family. To Rin.

"…I ain't plannin' on goin' back home," he revealed in a quiet voice as he stared down at his knees. "Not 'til I'm done studyin'. Not 'til I've become a proper exorcist." _Not 'til I defeat Satan_, he thought, hating himself for not saying it out loud. For all his talk of sincerity, of following through with his words, not once in all these years had he told Rin this part of his goals. It was irrational. It was ridiculous. He _trusted _Rin. And yet… even now the thought of hearing Rin laugh at him in that same dismissive way everyone else had done filled him with dread.

_He doesn't even know what it really means to be an exorcist, _he reminded himself bitterly, frustrated with it all.

"Oh." Rin looked at Ryuuji, his brow furrowing and he turned his gaze back to the floor. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "I get it." He nodded, pushing back with his legs and letting the seat swing back and forth in an idle pattern. "Yeah. I think I get it. 'Cause whenever I lose my job… goin' back home is hard." Rin smiled at Ryuuji as he passed. "Ya wanna go home a big success, right? Ya wanna feel proud an' know that they're all gonna be proud of ya too."

Rin nodded and leaned back, gripping the chains as he let his head hang upside down. "Yeah, I get it," he repeated. "In that case, you're gonna hafta study hard. 'Cause 'm sure they're gonna miss ya."

Suguro grimaced slightly. "They'll do jus' fine without me…" he muttered. But Rin's words did hit the heart of the problem.

_I'll live the way I want, I said… but I really do wish pops would… _

"Argh…! I don't wanna think 'bout this anymore. Change of subject!" Suguro demanded, scowling. Restless energy had gathered in his legs. The taller teen put his weight on his heels and rocked back and forth on the swing as he tried to stop thinking about the topic of fathers.

Rin laughed. "Alright, alright!" He twisted the chains on his seat again and turned, hooking his ankles around one of Suguro's legs. "So you were all sweaty this mornin'," he said, obliging in the change of subject. "Where'dja go?"

Suguro gripped onto the chains a little tighter and huffed exasperatedly as he stared at his captive leg. "Went out for a run." He glanced at Rin disapprovingly and leaned over to tug on the bangs hanging off the front of his eyes. "I tried to sleep in this mornin', but I had a hard time falling back asleep. Not used to it," he explained, grinning slightly at the face Rin made.

Rin let out a whine of protest as Ryuuji tugged on his hair but he curled his ankle a bit tighter on his leg. "Running?" He tilted his head towards his friend's hand. "Jeez, how early didja even get up?"

"Five-thirty." Suguro's face acquired a smug expression. "Not everyone sleeps in until noon, ya know." The barb was accompanied by another tug on the other's hair.

"Five-thirty in the morning?!" Rin's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He tilted his head further at the tug, too shocked to really protest. "But only _crazy_ people wake up at five-thirty!"

"Oi! _Normal_ people wake up at five-thirty. Well, not everyone," Suguro amended, "but there's a helluva lot of people who do." After one last warning tug, he let go of Rin's hair and flicked his forehead away. "Anyway, leggo of me already. We oughta get goin' soon, yeah?"

Rin rubbed his forehead with a huff before unhooking his legs as asked. "Yeah…" he murmured, his expression turning serious. He felt his normal insecurities rising in his chest and his eyebrows knitted together as he gripped the chains a bit tighter. The interview ahead seemed more like a brick wall than a hurdle. He felt a lump in his throat and he wished the priests would have just waited. He had wanted a week of happiness. Just a week of not caring about the future and enjoying Ryuuji's presence.

"Somethin'…" Rin began in a small voice, staring at the ground. "Somethin' is gonna go wrong again, isn't it…?"

After hearing that subdued tone, Suguro found himself studying Rin out of the corner of his eye. The tension on his shoulders and the lines of worry on his face had returned. He looked miserable. All the effort Suguro had gone through to distract Rin had fallen through.

He swung to the side slightly, bumping into the other's shoulder to catch his attention. "Hey," he said in a quiet voice of his own, "quit it. Yer gonna do jus' fine." He mustered up what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Just relax. An' smile too. No one's gonna hire yer ugly mug when you're lookin' like that," he teased.

Rin swung to the side from Ryuuji's bump and he looked at his best friend with a bit of gratitude. Though the words did little to ease his worries, he smiled regardless. Ryuuji was there for him. Whether things went wrong or right, he'd still be his friend. So that was okay, right? Rin's expression seemed to relax further at this realization. "Well 'least I'm prettier than you are." He punched Ryuuji's shoulder playfully before getting up and heading towards the exit of the playground, grinning over his shoulder.

Suguro felt a flash of relief, which was quickly pushed away as a smirk rose up across his face. "I ain't gonna argue that, _princess!_" He quickly followed to catch up with him, leaving the swing bouncing behind.

"Who're ya callin' princess?!"


	25. March 30, 2009 (Afternoon)

By the time they returned to the monastery, Kyodo already had a large box with a suit ready for Rin to take. Rin protested, saying such a thing wasn't needed for a part-time job interview but ended up taking the suit anyway at the priests' insistence.

"Jeez…" Rin grumbled as he pulled on the jacket over the button-up shirt. He finally pulled the tie out of the box and stared at it perplexed. He pulled it around his neck and wrapped it around, tried knotting it, pulled it apart; trying again, he somehow ended up with it stuck over his forehead.

"Argh!" He let out a frustrated growl, tugging it off and messing up his hair in the process. "How do you even put this thing on!?"

Suguro snickered meanly as he watched Rin struggle, his arms and chin resting on the back of the chair he was straddling. "Havin' a little trouble there?"

Rin flushed and threw the tie at him with a glare. "Fine then, if _you're_ so good, _you_ do it!" He growled accusingly.

"Hey!" Suguro growled back as the tie hit him straight on. He snatched the thing off his face. _How hard could it be…? _he wondered then, shooting the other a superior smirk as he slung it over his neck.

A few minutes later, he admitted defeat.

"How the hell do ya freakin' tie this?"

Suguro looked ridiculous. His casual outfit consisting of ripped jeans and a black tank top looked at odds with the rumpled tie around his neck. He quickly tugged on the mess of a knot he'd made, unraveling the tie before throwing it back at Rin.

Rin caught the tie with a triumphant smirk. "See? Not as easy as ya thought, huh?" His tone was teasing but he knew he still had a problem. He sighed and decided to roll it up and stuff it in his pocket. "Whatever. It's easier like this. I'll just say it's like… smart-casual… or somethin'," Rin muttered, adjusting the jacket and the collar of his shirt. "Whaddya think?"

"Looks fine to me." But that didn't mean Suguro was the best person to ask. He told Rin as much. "Maybe we oughta ask one of the priests. 'M sure they know how to do it," he suggested.

Rin shrugged vaguely. "I guess," he muttered before he sighed and glanced at the time. "Well, I guess 'm off." He fidgeted with the hems of his jacket.

"_Smile_," Suguro reminded him sharply, shaking his head a little as he got up to his feet. He picked up his jacket and slung it over his shoulder before replacing the clip holding up his hair with a baseball cap. "No need to be so nervous. Just relax."

"You know why 'm so nervous," Rin shot back under his breath, but still, he flashed Ryuuji an exaggerated smile before sighing and walking out of the room with him, a neutral expression on his face. The two of them headed down the stairs and walked through the chapel where Shiro was speaking to one of the priests. He turned and smirked when he saw Rin as Nagatomo walked past them.

"Kyodo let you borrow that?" Shiro grinned and Rin was already scowling.

"Yeah. 'S for the interview," he muttered resentfully.

"And the necktie?" The old priest had a knowing smirk.

"I-It's faster without it!" Rin stammered red-faced, his spine straightening.

Shiro snorted and shot a glance to Suguro before holding out his hand. "You just don't know how to tie it, do you? Come on, I'll show you. Close the top button and raise the collar."

Rin flushed slightly but grudgingly pulled out the tie from his pocket and did as he was told. Shiro took the tie and put it around Rin's neck as the shorter teen lifted his chin and watched his father's hands attentively.

"Man, you're only growing up physically," Shiro remarked under his breath as he began the process. "You were so cute when you were little, going 'papa, papa' all the time." He chuckled softly.

"That was like ages ago!" Rin protested with flushed cheeks, looking away. "I'm grown-up now, alright? You're embarrassing me!"

"Grown-up?" Shiro gripped the tie and looked around exaggeratingly, "I don't see any grown-ups around!" The old priest looked at Rin through the corner of his eyes and laughed boisterously as Rin objected loudly.

Shiro put a hand on Rin's forehead and pushed him back, causing the smaller teen to stumble a few steps. "If it's that embarrassing, show me how much you've grown!"

"Don't look down on me!" Rin growled as he pulled down his collar and adjusted the completed tie, "I'll prove it to you that I can do it myself!" He pointed accusingly at his father. "Open your eyes wide and look!"

"That's not how the saying goes." Shiro smirked, unimpressed.

"Shut up, shitty old man!" Rin snarled under his breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. "C'mon, Ryuuji…" He practically stomped his way out of the monastery. Though he seemed to be fuming, gone were all the nervous lines from his face and the tense shoulders. He seemed more focused and concentrated on the task ahead, a new, determined fire in his eyes.

Suguro followed after him quietly.

_You really weren't kidding, huh? You've got a good dad… _

Watching that exchange made something in Suguro's chest tighten. He was… surprised; not completely, not after having heard those words for most of his life. Hearing and seeing it were two different things though. Suguro had thought the blinds had been taken off yesterday. He thought he'd gotten a glimpse of the priest's true face last night. He had, kind of. But that didn't mean that was all there was to the older man.

It was confusing; made him feel all tangled up. It was hard to stay angry at Rin's dad after seeing that gentle, affectionate teasing. It reminded him of…

_No, _Suguro told himself firmly, refusing to go down that path again. _No point in lookin' back. What's done's done. I gotta—I've moved on. _

He tugged on the brim of his hat, drew a quiet breath, and pushed it all back. Looking at Rin's back reminded him of his own determination.

_One step at a time. _It was a thought that applied to both of them.

And no matter how complicated life could be, how complicated _people _could be, knowing that they had each other made it all easier to bear.

* * *

The interview had gone by well enough. Rin was given a uniform and a nametag with _Okumura_ quickly written on it and thus, his trial period began.

Rin tried his best. His first task to move several large boxes to the front of the store had been a somewhat success. However, on the very last box, he'd messed up horribly, dropping it on his boss'—a short but fierce woman named Momoi—head. Rin had gotten scolded and was forced to clean up the mess he'd made.

He tried to make up for it by making quick work of collecting the carts outside in the parking lot, but even that had had disastrous results. A wheel hit the curb, causing the long line of carts to burst into a tangled mess and of course, with Rin's luck, his boss ended up being in the middle of it all. Rin got scolded again.

He was then moved inside where he broke a faucet in an attempt to fill up the mopping bucket, and when doing the actual mopping, he slipped and knocked over the dirty water, spreading it on the floor and causing several of the patrons and a couple workers to fall on the slippery floor. He was scolded once more.

Rin ran a hand over his face as he quickly moved to dry up the large puddle of dirty water he'd made. His hands were shaking and his shoulders were tense again. He was going to mess something else up, he just knew it.

Suguro watched all this from a distance. He tried to seem discreet, browsing through the aisles for something to buy, picking up a bottle of gel along the way as he kept an eye on Rin. His stomach turned as he saw his friend struggle through his tasks, and he winced every time he saw him get scolded.

_Yikes… _Suguro thought as he watched his friend practically curl into himself as he mopped the floor with quick, rough movements, surrounded by an unapproachable aura of misery.

He couldn't hold back anymore. He had to do something.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, hey! Sorry ta bother ya. Was, uh, wonderin' if ya could help me with somethin'?" He raised his voice slightly to catch Rin's attention, beckoning him close with a tense smile as he took advantage of the fact the other employees were out of earshot.

Rin looked up at Ryuuji's voice and stared at him before nodding quickly and placing his mop against the wall. "Y-Yes, what can I help you with, sir?" he called out as he trotted over, but by the time he was close enough, he was whispering fervently. "I'm not gonna get it... This is a disaster...!" He struggled to seem calm to any onlookers.

"Dude, _calm down_," Suguro hissed at him quietly, resisting the urge to smack some sense into him physically. "You freakin' out ain't gonna help anything. Just _breathe_. An' don't be so rough with things!"

Suguro had gotten a glimpse of how strong Rin was yesterday when they were messing around, but witnessing the stunts Rin had pulled today left him with his mouth hanging open a couple times. How Rin held back all the time was a mystery Suguro couldn't grasp. On the other hand…

"Look, I'm kinda gettin' why yer havin' so much difficulties. Useful as yer strength is, it makes things tough too. But you didn't hurt me yesterday, 'member? You jus' gotta relax. Don't try so hard. Just be yerself," he told him firmly.

Rin swallowed audibly and tried to take Ryuuji's words to heart. He focused on the time they'd spent together last night. How even through the roughhousing, his best friend had somehow gotten out unharmed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, doing his best to release the tension in his shoulders.

"R…Right. Okay…" Rin gave a resolute nod, even though his hands still had a slight tremor. "I'll do my best…" He glanced around before he gave him an award-winning smile and bowed quickly. He then headed back to the mop to finish cleaning up.

Be yourself. Be yourself. That shouldn't be hard, right? Rin did his best to concentrate on the task at hand. Once he was done, he took the mop back to the closet in the back of the store. He closed the door and sighed tiredly.

"Having some trouble, new kid?"

Rin turned to see one of the lady workers standing at a small grill, making sample noodles. A glance at her nametag showed her name to be Kijita. He smiled a bit and gave her a tired nod.

"Well, come on. Here, you can try this." Kijita offered him one of the samples and Rin moved to accept it. However, once he put the noodles in his mouth, the taste was bitter enough to cause his lips to screw up.

"Ah…" She sighed knowingly. "I figured. Boss bought a lot of these because they were cheap, but they don't seem to be selling."

Rin stared at the grill and moved his tongue around in his mouth. Without prompt or really thinking about it, he knew what it needed. _Be yourself._ "Um…" Rin began, glancing up at the woman. "Could… I try cooking it?"

Kijita looked at him and her expression changed. It was warm and when she handed him the spatula, she was smiling. "No harm in giving it a shot."

"Thank you." Rin put the plastic fork back in his mouth, giving it another taste, this time concentrating for a moment. "Um! Could you get me some green onions, soy sauce, and a green pepper?" The woman stared at him and Rin straightened up. "Please!"

Kijita blinked before nodding and heading off to retrieve the requested objects. Once she returned, Rin got right to work. He moved expertly, pouring just the right amount of sauce and slicing the vegetables. He maneuvered the spatula on the grill, mixing everything perfectly.

It wasn't long until the hall was radiating a wonderful smell and customers began gravitating towards the grill, murmuring expectantly. Rin's face was flushed with a smile and he, with his coworker's help, began plating the samples as he got on to cooking more.

Finally, the first sample was picked up by a housewife. Rin couldn't help but pause, staring at the woman as she tried it. His chest loosened with relief as her eyes immediately lit up.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried. "This tastes wonderful!"

Encouraged by her lavish praise, more customers stepped forward, grabbing samples. They were soon cleaning the table faster than Rin could cook. Kijita was already advertising the sauce and the people who had already tried it were bustling to buy a bottle. Rin was shouting out into the crowd, calling the attention of the customers even if the smell already did that on its own.

It wasn't long before their boss caught the bustle of the crowd and she moved over with a fierce look in her eye. Rin gulped loudly and froze in terror as she picked up a sample and tried it.

There was a long silence. Even the customers seemed to be holding their breath.

When Momoi looked at Rin next, she spoke with a stern tone. "Staff meetings are at 8 AM every morning. Do your best from now on," she said before walking away. Rin blinked twice and it wasn't until Kijita gave him a congratulatory slap on the back, crying, "You got the job! Good going, new kid," that a bright smile enveloped his face.

_Ryuuji!_ Rin's eyes were already searching around for the familiar face. Had he seen?

_Yes...!_ Suguro thought as he heard the news. The moment he met Rin's eyes, a broad grin instantly spread across his lips.

"Knew ya could do it!" he said once they were outside. The taller teen hooked his arm around the Rin's neck and tugged him close as pride and relief battled it out in his chest. He ruffled the other's hair lightly. "So freakin' proud of ya."

Rin laughed, his face flushed red with relief. He pressed a hand to Ryuuji's chest as his hair was messed up and sniggered out loud, too happy to protest. "Thanks!" He smiled up at his friend earnestly. "I'm really glad ya came with me. I probably couldn't have done it withoutcha."

"Dork," Suguro huffed exasperatedly. "Have a lil more faith in yerself, will ya?" He let go of the other with a bit of a push, tilting his head towards the store afterwards. His grin had yet to fade away. "Go on then, get back in there. I'll head back to yer place an' tell everyone the good news."

Rin grinned brightly and nodded. "Okay! I'll be home in a couple hours." He waved to Ryuuji, watching him go before going back into the store to continue his work. However, he wasn't inside for more than a few minutes before he passed by the window to watch a small girl chasing after a scarf that was blowing away in the wind.

"Give it back!" she cried, "please!"

Rin acted on instinct as the scarf got closer. He ran outside the store, snagging the pink fabric from the air. "Here you go." He smiled and bent down to hand it to her. But the girl didn't smile. In fact, she seemed to be staring at the scarf in fear. Rin furrowed his eyebrows as the wind picked up, tugging the scarf in his hand…

But there was no wind.

Something flickered in his vision and Rin had to blink several times before he could make sense of it. A little… something… A monster, it had to have been. It wasn't like any animal he knew. But before he could stare at it any longer, the monster yanked the scarf out of his hand and ran towards the store.

"H-HEY!" Rin did the one thing he thought to do and ran after it. But as he ran through the aisles chasing the scarf and the monster, no one seemed to notice the tiny thing. They all just stared at him, running through the store… Rin didn't have time to think about it. It wasn't long before the monkey-looking monster climbed up several boxes and started hopping on them, making the display teeter back and forth.

The girl was there at the bottom. When had she followed him in!?

The tower was falling.

Rin ran forward and dove over the girl, not thinking for a moment as the display collapsed. He winced as boxes and cans hit his back as he tried to curl protectively around the small girl. But even after it had all settled, and a woman was shrieking as she ran up to them, the girl was knocked unconscious.

"Yui!" the woman cried out, holding her daughter.

Rin wasn't sure what happened after that. He didn't see the monster again. His nametag was ripped off his uniform. After being forced to give back the apron, Rin hurried out of the store, hugging his jacket close with the tie open around his neck. He was breathing too hard, remembering Ryuuji's smile as he told him how proud he was. He thought of the fact that he'd gone back to tell the priests the good news.

How was he supposed to go back now and tell them that not minutes after Ryuuji left, he got fired…? And he didn't even know what he did.

_What's wrong with me?!_


	26. March 30, 2009 (Evening)

"No way! Did he really?" Suguro asked wide-eyed, so surprised that the knife he was holding almost slipped out of his hand.

Izumi snickered without a sense of restraint. "Oh, yes. And Rin absolutely loved it! Don't let him convince you otherwise. He always used to get so excited when we were teaching them a new song." The spiky-haired man shook his head, his expression lively with amusement. All of the priests had been in this good mood since Suguro had come home and relayed the news of Rin's success. A comfortable, excited atmosphere had taken over the monastery, and everyone had felt so relieved that it had worked out that they decided to make sukiyaki for tonight's dinner.

Currently, they were chopping up the ingredients for it and setting up the table.

"Oh, and you should've seen the cute little uniforms we had them wear too! We've got a few pictures around somewhere, I'm sure. I'll see if I can try to find them before dinner," Izumi promised with a broad grin.

"You don't gotta trouble yerself on my account…" Suguro protested a little even though he really wanted to see the pictures of Rin in his choir uniform.

His true feelings must've really shown on his face. Izumi chuckled. "C'mon, Ryuuji-kun. No need to be so reserved with us. Relax," he reminded the teen, nudging his side slightly.

Suguro ducked his head and flushed slightly. He opened his mouth to deliver an appropriate response when a small commotion caught his attention.

"Huh? What's going on over there?"

Maruta cautiously glanced outside the kitchen window and winced slightly, in a way that made everyone glance at him curiously. Suguro leaned out to see what was going on with his own eyes, and much to his surprise, he spotted Father Fujimoto dealing with an angry redheaded woman—one Suguro recognized.

_Oh, no…_

He couldn't fully hear what the woman was saying. They were too far away, and she was speaking in a fast, angry voice. He got a clear view of the paper she was holding up to Shiro though. A damage report. Suguro's breath caught in his throat. He put the knife down.

Gone was the excitement that had been building up over the past two hours. The easy grins everyone had acquired faded away as everyone began to form the same thoughts.

_Shit. Don't tell me… _Suguro thought desperately, praying, hoping that their suspicions were wrong, but the somber face on Father Fujimoto's face as he listened to the redheaded woman said everything that needed to be said.

Suguro didn't waste any time considering what to do. He picked up his jacket and began to hurry out of the kitchen.

"Ryuuji-kun?"

Someone called out after him. Suguro couldn't even look at any of them, too preoccupied with the knots forming in his stomach. The only words he could manage to say before he left the monastery were:

"…I gotta…'m goin' out to look for him."

* * *

It didn't take long to find him. Suguro locked on to the most likely location—the only location he knew Rin would go to. He suddenly felt so damn glad that Rin had gotten around showing him the place. His feet took him down the same path they'd walked this morning, and as the playground came into view—

Suguro's heart sank to his stomach.

There was Rin.

He was in the same swing he'd sat on this morning, staring down at his feet. He looked dejected, staring glassed-eyed at the fixed point, barely even moving.

Something _had_ happened.

Suguro already had idea of what that 'something' was.

"...Rin."

Rin's fingers tightened on the chains as he heard the familiar voice. He felt a well of shame rising up his throat. His eyes stung with tears of frustration as he let his head hang, his gaze shifting to his lap.

"I…" he murmured, his voice barely steady, "I can't…"

Suguro's heart clenched at the faint voice. _Rin…_

He approached his friend with slow, heavy steps until he had carefully closed the distance between them. Standing next to Rin like this only made him want to reach out, throw an arm over his shoulder, let the heavy weight of his hand rest on top of the mussed up hair in comfort.

"Are ya…?" Suguro swallowed down the pointless question. "You wanna… talk 'bout it?" he asked instead, the words tumbling out of his lips awkwardly.

Rin shook his head and immediately felt guilt for shutting out his friend. But in reality, what could he say to him? That he saw a tiny monster steal a little girl's scarf and it trashed the store while he was chasing it? Not even Ryuuji would believe him.

"It's…" Rin spoke softly. "I don't know… I don't know what happened, it was too fast…"

Suguro's eyebrows knitted together as he frowned. "What was?" he prompted before he could help himself. He wanted to understand. The memory of the how angry Rin's boss had been when she dropped by flashed in his mind. Just what had happened…? Everything had been going well when he had left Rin…

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" Rin shook his head before his shoulders slumped. "There was a girl… I tried to help her but she got hurt…" He shook his head again, remembering the thing that had been responsible. Was he seeing things? Was he going insane? Rin let go of the chains and pressed his hands over his face, his elbows digging into his knees. "I don't know," he repeated again.

_Shit… _Suguro thought as he watched his friend, feeling helpless. What could he do? What could he say?

_"Somethin' is gonna go wrong again, isn't it…?"_

"Rin…"

Just how many times had this happened now? Rin had always been vague when talking about his part-time jobs. Half of the time, Suguro didn't even press his friend about why he got fired, knowing Rin felt bad enough as it is. It certainly wasn't due to lack of effort or willingness. Suguro saw how hard Rin tried.

_A little too hard… _Suguro winced at his own thoughts, batting them away. He closed the last step between them to put a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to give him all the support that he could.

"Hey. Look," he murmured a little roughly, "let's getcha home. We can talk about it there if ya want... or not. Whatever ya want. But c'mon. 'M sure everyone's worried about where you're." He squeezed the tense shoulder. "Ya oughta eat too," he told him in a quieter voice. "We've got food waitin' for ya," he said, trying to lift Rin's spirit a little.

Rin looked up. The heavy weight of Ryuuji's hand on his shoulder was somewhat of an anchor. His fingers reached up and he squeezed his friend's wrist for a moment before he nodded and stood. He knew he had to go home at some point and going home alone seemed too difficult. At least with Ryuuji there he wouldn't have to face those disappointed faces on his own.

They took their time getting home. The two of them didn't really talk, but Suguro made sure to stay by Rin's side the entire time, silently offering him comfort. His urgency had faded now that he had found Rin, but the walk back to the monastery didn't take long. When they finally walked past the gate side by side, Suguro looked up and was surprised to see Father Fujimoto standing at the front entrance.

"Who's that?" he muttered, looking at the stranger talking to Rin's dad.

Shiro looked up as he saw the two boys entering the gates. "Welcome back," he called out.

The man turned around. "Are you Okumura Rin?" he asked and Rin looked at him with a curious frown.

"Yeah," he answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Yui's father." The man stepped aside, revealing a small girl hiding behind his leg. She had a large bandage on her forehead and Rin felt a wave of relief as he saw the small smile on her lips. "Thank you for saving her," he continued, much to Suguro's confusion. The tall teen watched quietly as Rin stepped forward, glancing between the man and the little girl.

"Her wounds?" Rin asked even though he could see she was doing alright.

"Thanks to you, just a few scratches," the man answered with a grateful smile.

Rin smiled back, the tension in his body loosening. "That's good." He directed his smile to Yui whose expression brightened in return as she tightened her grip on her father's pants.

"Yui's always been a careless child." Yui's father spoke in a soft but stern tone, much to Yui's dismay. "She has a lot of accidents. Falling from stairs and stuff."

Rin stared at the man for a moment and the words came out of his mouth immediately. "That's not it." He remembered the thing… Was this not the first time? It couldn't be. Had Yui been… "She's not careless!" Rin's tone was surer, more fervent. "She's being bullied! She gets her hair pulled and her stuff taken…"

But his words seemed to affect his own father for when Shiro spoke, his tone was urgent. "Did you see it?"

"What did he look like?" Yui's father cut in immediately, his brow tense.

"It was…" Rin glanced back towards Ryuuji, his nervousness returning. "He was… small. And had a face like a monkey…" he replied in soft words, unsure.

"What?!" Yui's father grimaced. He began walking off towards the gates, holding his daughter's hand tightly.

"Where are you going?" Shiro called after him.

"I'm going to call the school and get them to punish the ones that are bullying Yui!"

"That's not it!" Yui cried out, pulling on her father's arm insistently. "It's not humans who bully me! It's evil ghosts!"

The seemingly childish words had a rippling effect. Though Shiro's face remained completely expressionless, Suguro straightened up in surprise. He glanced at Rin, whose face had paled slightly.

_Evil ghosts?_ Rin's brows furrowed. Was that what that monster had been?

Yui's father didn't seem surprised by this however. "Yui has an active imagination. We've heard these tales before," he said in a tired tone.

Rin felt a rush of indignation overcome him and he couldn't control his outburst. "She's not imagining it!"

"Rin!" Shiro hissed warningly but the younger teen plowed forward, not having heard his father's voice or simply ignoring it.

"Why can't you believe her?" Rin clenched his fists and glared. "If not even her parents believe her, who can she depend on!? You have to—AGH!"

Rin let out a grunt as Shiro drove his fist into his hair and walked forward, leaving the teen holding his head and complaining. But Shiro didn't listen. He walked forward and knelt in front of Yui, pulling a small glass bottle from his pocket.

"This is a four-leaf clover charm." He spoke softly and with a gentle smile. "It should protect you."

"Thank you…" Yui took the bottle and held it to her chest.

Shiro's smile softened before he changed his gaze up to her father. His face and voice went stern. "Don't blame her, please. She depends on you, her parents, the most."

After a long silence, the man stared at his daughter and nodded. "Come on, Yui. Let's go home."

Yui nodded softly and the pair walked out the gates.

"…Will that really help her?" Suguro blurted out as soon as they were out of sight, unable to help himself. He glanced between Rin and his dad, trying to process together everything that had just happened.

Shiro nodded stiffly but barely spared Suguro a glance. He zeroed in on Rin almost immediately. "You're a thousand years too early to be scolding others." His voice rose in irritation as the smaller teen rubbed his injured scalp. "But besides that, Rin. You're forbidden to go out for a while," he continued with a stern glare.

"Huh!?" Rin's eyes widened. "Why?!"

"The boss from that shop came by earlier with this." Shiro pulled a paper out of his coat and held it out for Rin to see. "It's a demand for all the shop equipment and goods you destroyed."

"What!?" Rin backed away from it as if he'd been burned. He'd never seen so many digits…

Suguro winced as he caught sight of the number again.

"Dude, how did ya even manage…?" he muttered under his breath.

Rin couldn't help but wince at Ryuuji's comment but Shiro was already continuing.

"This can't go on, Rin!" He pushed the bill back into his coat. "You're skipping dinner! Now go! To your room!"

"What?!" Rin exclaimed again, unable to really come up with anything else. "But—!"

Shiro was staring at him with an intensity that made his protest shrivel up in his throat. Rin scowled and walked back into the monastery, shoving the door open so that the knob broke a hole into the wall when it collided. Rin didn't look back and just headed straight to his room. He felt that familiar anger, frustration, and, most of all, shame filling his chest.

"…That seems… a little harsh, don'tcha think, sir?"

Suguro stared at the indent in the wall with unease, but he turned to look at Rin's dad, mustering up all his courage to do so. A frown flickered on his face as he took in the man's harsh expression. A thousand things flashed across his mind. He latched on to the one that bothered him the most. When he spoke, his voice was quiet and hesitant, but he pressed on forward, driven by his desire to get to the bottom of everything. "He can seem them now, can't he? Shouldn't ya…?" he began, but Shiro seemed unwilling to listen. The priest walked into the monastery and pulled the door forward to inspect the hole left in the wood.

"Ryuuji-kun."

Shiro's voice was tense as he beckoned the boy inside so he could close the door. "You don't understand the situation as well as you think you do. You may be his friend, but I am his father. I advise that you do not tell me how I should raise my son."

The harsh words sent a chill down Suguro's back and he looked away. His expression twisted as he struggled to swallow down the unease Rin's father caused in him. He wanted to squirm and apologize; his engrained good manners bubbled beneath his skin, threatening to surface—but it was a bout born out of a years-long resentment that colored his next words.

"…I…may not know what's goin' on here…" he muttered, his voice gaining strength, "but I do know this…! Yer supposed ta be family, arent'cha?!" He met Shiro's eyes, and Suguro wasn't sure what type of expression he was making this time, but his head felt as full as his heart right now, tight with bitterness and a desire to protect his best friend.

"I… hate people like you the most," he said harshly, not looking away from the priest's eyes for a second. He continued on in the same tone, just as fierce, his fists clenching at his sides. "Rin looks up to ya… He always has. So whatever it is yer hidin', no matter what reason it is, the longer ya keep things secret, the worse it'll be when he finds out."

Staring at the older man right now only made Suguro think of that painfully gentle voice, of the fatherly way this man had encouraged Rin to try his best—of the way Rin's unease had faded so easily.

He had a hard time swallowing down his anger. Sugoro wished he could truly hate this man, wished things weren't as complicated as they seemed. He didn't know what the older man was hiding, but it felt like something big… something bad. Still…

_If ya really care about him, don't freakin' lie to him! You'll jus' hurt him…!_

He couldn't bring himself to say it. He'd overstepped his bounds enough as it is. But he didn't regret it, not one bit.

Shiro's expression softened into one of understanding… but it was the understanding an adult would give a child. It was that expression of pity and longing. He shook his head lightly. "He's not ready. And neither are you." His voice was calmer now. "You may think that the world is divided into lies and truths but rarely is it ever so black and white. I fear you'll come to understand that sooner than you might think."

There was an air of finality in the Reverend's voice as he turned and walked down the aisle between the rows of pews.

"If you want to help Rin," he spoke without looking back, "stay with him. Starting now."

Shiro disappeared behind a door at the back of the small altar and it clicked shut, the sound punctuating his last sentence.

His order.


End file.
